The One Where We Wished ‘The Rachel’ Haircut from ‘Friends’ Would Make a Comeback

Jennifer Aniston might have hated it, but boy did the world love it, including me. Of course, I’m talking about "The Rachel."

Get our free mobile app

In 2011, Jennifer Aniston did an interview with Allure and was quoted as saying that The Rachel was "the ugliest haircut" she'd ever seen. GASP!

The Rachel was introduced to the world by Jennifer Aniston in an episode of Friends which aired in April of 1995. The episode was called, “The One With the Evil Orthodontist” and from that moment, the world became obsessed with the stylish cut.

I was part of the frenzy of fans to get their hair cut to match The Rachel, but I couldn’t admit to my mom that I the reason I wanted the cut was because I'd seen it on the show. I wasn’t allowed to watch Friends (which is why I watched it at my friend’s houses, sorry mom) and I had to a year for the style to be on every magazine cover at the grocery store and on the lips of every hairdresser because I could stick my toe into the waters of asking to be allowed to get the cut.

When my mom took me to get my hair cut, I waited for her to walk away to hang up her coat and then whispered to the stylist that I really wanted her to suggest to my mom that The Rachel would look good on me. It’s so funny to me now because I can picture my mom’s face and eyebrows raising. What in the world was The Rachel? Once the hairdresser explained the cut, using the word "shag," my mom was suddenly all for it (my mom comes from the shag generation) and so began my love affair with The Rachel.

For years, I kept up with owning The Rachel look, modifying it here and there. Sometimes the cut was long, sometimes it was short. Sometimes I wore my layers messy and sometimes they were more sleek. I kept this up until I was into my mid-20's and sometimes find myself looking back and wondering why I ever stopped getting The Rachel. It really was flattering and so easy to manage, even with my unruly hair. Especially with my unruly hair.

I'm thankful for my life and the road that has led me to where I am today, but it's hard to look back at old photos. I was so beautiful and yet always thought that I was so hideous. I suppose there's a life lesson somewhere in there about appreciating where we are at each step of life. I was practically starving myself in the photo at the top of this article, but still - middle age has slapped me in the face like a smelly, rotten fish.

Since all things 90s related have made a resurgence these days (perhaps because middle aged people such as me long for the days of our youth?), can we please bring back The Rachel? I know the cut never totally went away, but can we bring it back as a hot thing again?