Hime cut

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Yūko Ichihara of xxxHolic sports a Hime cut

Hime cut (literally princess cut) is a hairstyle usually worn by women that is frequently seen in anime and manga consisting of straight, usually cheek-length sidelocks and frontal fringe. The rest of the hair is usually worn long and straightened. As the name suggests, the style is thought to have originated, or at least become common, in the Imperial court during the Heian Period of Japanese history, when noble women would sometimes grow out their hair for their entire lives.

1 Care and maintenance
2 In popular culture
3 Variations
4 Links

[edit] Care and maintenance

The Hime cut is very high-maintenance for those without naturally straight hair, and requires frequent touch-ups on the sidelocks and frontal bangs to maintain their shape. Japanese hair straightening is sometimes used to help with these problems as well as straightening irons and specially formulated shampoos for straight hair. Humidity is also cited as a problem with certain hair types, as the curling caused by excess humidity can change the shape of the hair. Occasionally hair extensions and weaves are used for the payot to prevent this.

[edit] In popular culture

Notable wearers of the Hime cut are:

Alto Saotome of Macross Frontier
Yûko Ichihara of xxxHolic
Ai Enma of Jigoku Shōjo
Sango, Kikyo, and Izayoi of Inuyasha
Yu Kanda of D.Gray-man
Seira of Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch
Osamu of Loveless
Meimi Haneoka of Saint Tail
Miyu of Vampire Princess Miyu
Arukenimon (human form) of Digimon Adventure 02
Yumichika Ayasegawa and Shinji Hirako of Bleach (both in flashbacks)
Siegfried von Schroider of Yu-Gi-Oh!
Hayami Kohinata of H2O: Footprints in the Sand
Kuro Kagami of Kodomo No Jikan
Rika Furude of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Riful of Claymore (anime)

The hairstyle is frequently seen in Gothic Lolita subculture, especially the classification of Elegant Gothic Lolita (EGL). Within the EGL community the Hime is considered a more elegant alternative to other styles that may require frequent curling and crimping that can permanently damage the hair.

[edit] Variations

Variants of the sidelocks have also been seen, such as longer sidelocks sometimes pulled in front of the ears (see Kikyo for an example of this style) and lack of frontal fringe with only the payot present. The hair is also sometimes worn short in a variant of a pageboy. The style is sometimes paired with odango, as worn by Fushigi Yūgi character Miaka Yuki.