Emily Ratajkowski Addresses ‘Tragic’ Haircut Debacle, Shares How She’s Coping

The supermodel spoke to ‘W Magazine’ about her latest viral beauty move gone wrong.

Emily Ratajkowski / Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Emily Ratajkowski isn’t letting a bad haircut get her down.

The multi-hyphenate—model, actress, author, mom and activist—has long been synonymous with polished, effortless glam. But after a recent chop went wildly wrong, Ratajkowski has become the internet’s most relatable beauty muse. She’s even been dubbed “the girl from TikTok who got the bad haircut.” The 33-year-old finally addressed the debacle in an interview with W Magazine: “Honestly, I’m not doing a good job of styling it on my own.”

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The now-viral ’do, a mullet-esque cut with uneven bangs starting from the crown, was met with gasps and giggles across social media. But in true EmRata fashion, she’s handling the mishap with her signature mix of candor and cool. “I’m doing what I can and praying that it grows out quickly,” she shared. The SI Swimsuit alum’s friends have been brutally honest about the state of her strands, telling her: “‘Your hair looks terrible. Why are you not more stressed?’” she recalled. “Which is really funny, because normally your friends are the ones to downplay how bad it is.”

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Emily Ratajkowski / TheStewartofNY/Getty Images

The High Low With EmRata podcast host is not without solutions, though. Armed with hair clips, texturizing sprays and a heavy dose of humor, she’s been doing damage control—sometimes literally taping in extensions and relying on pros to make things look presentable. “Today, my hair looks great,” she admitted ahead of an event with Kérastase, celebrating the brand’s new Gloss Graze Drops, “but I had an amazing hairstylist who spent three hours doing my hair—taping in extensions, adding in texture, hiding the short bits.”

The misstep came down to her own doing and willingness to try something new. “I bounce around, which is the problem,” Ratajkowski says of her rotating hairstylist roster. “Yes, I have had bangs before—but they didn’t start at the back of my head.”

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Ultimately, Ratajkowski’s charm lies in her willingness to be a little messy, a little vulnerable and completely real—even when things go awry. Though her hair is naturally pin-straight, she’s embracing heat-styled, textured, tighter curls for now, saying it’s the only way her new cut looks good to her.

For someone who has built a career on confidence and control, it’s refreshing to see her loosen her grip—even if it is because of a tragic trim. “I’m not tripping on it,” she insists. And with her sense of humor intact, neither are we.