Gracie Abrams found herself at the center of an unexpected online debate this week, not because of her music or her views on nepotism, but because of her hairstyle.
The 26-year-old singer, close friend of Taylor Swift and daughter of director JJ Abrams, appeared on the New York Times show. Pop broadcast to discuss his experience as a so-called nepo baby.
Several viewers, however, found their attention drifting toward her short pixie cut rather than her candid thoughts on privilege.
Comments on X were quick and creative. “Why does she always cut her hair like she’s an 1820 orphan sold to a farm,” one user wrote.
Another cast her boyfriend, actor Paul Mescal, who is set to play Paul McCartney in an upcoming film. Beatles biopic: “is his hair like that because Paul Mescal is doing his John Lennon cosplay for method acting purposes.”
One observer likened her look to that of “the first lady of North Korea,” while others expressed concern about the trajectory of the cuts.
“Gracie Abrams you are so talented, please don’t go bald,” one wrote, while another predicted she would soon be “bald Abrams because of the way she cuts her hair shorter and shorter.”
Not everyone was bad.
Several fans rallied to her defense, with one calling the cut “the most endearing thing about her” and calling her “adorable.”
Another said “short hair looks SO good on her” and praised her for having the face to wear it.
A third agreed: “Not many people have the face card to look good, even with this haircut, if you have it you need to show it off.”
For her part, Abrams has been entirely intentional in the transformation.
She said VogueLast month, on The Run-Through podcast, she “cuts my hair constantly” and “loves low-maintenance care,” citing Winona Ryder, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chloë Sevigny from the 1990s as her inspirations.
The popcast The appearance also gave Abrams a chance to think carefully about the privilege she grew up with as the daughter of JJ Abrams and television producer Katie McGrath.
“Of course it’s part of the conversation, and I think what a privilege that is,” she said.
“I had a safety net, which allowed me to experiment and focus, and I had the gift of spending time doing what I loved. I hadn’t grown up in financial fear, and that’s the biggest problem.”
She noted that her father was the son of television producers himself, making him a full-fledged nepo baby.
