Kate Gosselin On Her Infamous Haircut: ‘It’s Not Going to Work for Everybody’
Kate Gosselin’s hair practically took on a life of its own when the mom of eight became a household name thanks to TLC’s hit series, Jon and Kate Plus 8.
Keep reading to learn what the reality TV star has said about her now-infamous haircut known as“The Gosselin,” and learn which celebrity supposedly copied her look.
The now 44-year-old has since swapped her bob for a longer style — she ditched the bob in 2010 in favor of longer hair — but the spiky hair with swoopy side-swept bangs remains synonymous with Gosselin. So much so, the look became a key part of Halloween costumes for those looking to dress like their favorite TV personality.
Kate Gosselin talks about her hair
In an interview with People, Gosselin didn’t say whether or not she actually dubbed her bob “The Gosselin,” she did say what makes it work for her.
“It’s my attitude! Everybody wants it,” she said about her haircut in 2009.
She did explain that the style worked for her because of her hair. “I have very, very thick hair, so it’s not going to work for everybody,” she said, noting that people with not so thick hair should avoid her signature cut.
“I’ve seen people come through the book line with thin hair and [it] just won’t work,” she added.
That didn’t deter people from wanting to emulate her cut.
“My hairstylist gets calls from all across the country,” Gosselin said.
While her hairstyle didn’t reach the same level of “The Rachel” like Jennifer Aniston’s character on Friends, it’s become somewhat of a pop culture marker for 2008 and 2009.
Why Gosselin changed her hair in 2010
When 2010 came around, Gosselin left her signature hairstyle behind her. She traded in the short asymmetrical cut for a longer length, Ted Gibson, the celebrity hairstylist responsible for the new look, told CBS News.
He said the transformation from her short hair to a longer style took nearly 20 hours to complete “because she has so much hair,” adding she felt it was time for a change although she resisted a new haircut at first.
According to Us Weekly, Gosselin opted for long hair because of her time as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars. Better suited to reality TV than dancing, Gosselin didn’t make it very far in the competition but kept her new hairstyle.
There may have been another reason to Gosselin ditching her old look. Her and her husband, Jon Gosselin, announced their divorce in December of 2009, which may have served as encouragement for Gosselin to start fresh in the new year with a new look to go with the changes in her life.
Over the years, Gosselin has changed up her look but has yet to return to short hair instead favoring a longer style.
Did Justin Bieber copy Gosselin’s look?
In 2015, Justin Bieber changed his hairstyle and opted for one very similar to Gosselin’s bob with a side-swept bang.
He premiered the haircut on Instagram posting a picture of himself with his new haircut next to a picture of Gosselin with her bob, which the singer later deleted.
When asked about Bieber possibly copying her look, Gosselin told Cosmopolitan, “I do see some resemblance to my former hairstyle — Justin’s is a current take on it, yes! And it’s OK, he can have it!” with a laugh.
Gosselin on styling her infamous bob
In the same interview with Cosmopolitan, Gosselin revealed she didn’t style her short haircut much.
Below is what she said about her styling routine:
“Honestly, for me there wasn’t a lot of “styling” that went into it! It was more of a way to avoid having all-day bed head when my focus was on eight kids, all of whom were 5 years old and younger! I got up and it looked the same as when I went to sleep!”
While Jon and Kate Plus 8 and Kate Plus 8 have ended, Gosselin now stars in Kate Plus Date on TLC.
