Hime cut

Hime cut (literally princess cut in Japanese) 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.

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.

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
*Kuro Kagami of Kodomo No Jikan
*Riful of Claymore
*Aoyama Motoko of Love Hina
*Maria Kurenai of Vampire Knight
*Rika Furude of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
*Emily 'Lili' Rochefort of Tekken
*Oichi of Sengoku Basara 2
*Saki of Engine Sentai Go-onger

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.

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, or worn one-sided, such as the character of Miyu from Vampire Princess Miyu.

Links

* [http://community.livejournal.com/egl/3281893.html EGL Livejournal community entry on the Hime cut, including photos]