Pose & style reference · Hairstyles
Blunt bangs
Also called: straight bangs, blunt fringe, straight-cut bangs, ぱっつん前髪
In short
Blunt bangs, also called a blunt fringe or straight-cut bangs, are bangs trimmed in a single straight horizontal line across the forehead, without wispy layers or a side part. In Japanese the look is called patsun maegami (ぱっつん前髪). They frame the eyes like a window and give the face a neat, doll-like quality.
Reference photos
Photos are shown from mfan8.com with credit to the photographers and models. Tap a photo to open the full set.
Why blunt bangs read so strongly
A single horizontal edge is the most graphic shape you can put on a face. It hides the forehead, draws attention straight to the eyes, and makes the head look rounder and younger. That is why blunt bangs are paired with doll, princess and very proper characters, and why they are the core of the hime cut.
The same edge can also look severe. Blunt bangs over shadowed eyes are a common cue for an unreadable, quietly intense character.
Lengths and variations
- Eyebrow-length: the classic doll look, eyes fully visible.
- Baby bangs: cut well above the eyebrows, quirky and fashion-forward.
- Eye-grazing: bangs touch the lashes, a shy or mysterious feel.
- Rounded blunt bangs: the edge curves gently with the forehead, softer than a ruler-straight line.
- Blunt bangs with sidelocks: add vertical panels at the cheeks to turn it into a hime cut.
- See-through blunt bangs: a thinner, lighter straight fringe that shows some forehead, popular in East Asian salon styles.
How to draw blunt bangs
Draw the hairline first, then the bangs as a thick cap that starts behind the hairline, curves over the forehead and ends in one edge. That thickness matters: blunt bangs drawn as a thin line look painted on.
Follow the curve of the head with the cut edge. On a three-quarter view the edge wraps around the forehead, so it dips toward the far temple. Break the line with a few tiny notches or strand gaps so it reads as hair, and add a soft shadow on the forehead and eyelids just below.
A frequent mistake is making the edge perfectly flat in every view; seen from below, it becomes an upward curve, and from above, a downward one.
Wearing and shooting blunt bangs
When trimming a wig, cut the bangs slightly long first, then point-cut tiny vertical snips into the edge so it is straight but not plastic. A flat iron keeps the bangs lying flat and stops them from splitting in the middle.
Shoot from eye level or slightly above so the bangs do not hide the eyes. Avoid strong top light, which throws a hard shadow over the whole upper face.
FAQ
What are blunt bangs called in Japanese?
They are often called patsun or patsun maegami, describing hair cut off in one clean snip.
Are blunt bangs the same as hime bangs?
Blunt bangs are one part of the hime cut. Hime bangs usually means blunt bangs plus the cheek-length sidelocks.
Do blunt bangs suit a round face?
They can make a round face look rounder; slightly longer or rounded-edge versions are a common compromise.