If you told me a major model turned beauty entrepreneur had been spotted multiple times wearing a zig-zag headband, I’d immediately assume you were talking about Bella Hadid. She’s demonstrated on multiple occasions that it’s exactly the kind of Y2K throwback she’d pluck from obscurity and make look impossibly cool again. But it turns out the supermodel currently leading the charge for the return of the plastic scalloped comb headband is none other than Hailey Bieber, who’s been sneaking the nostalgic accessory into photo after photo—including several snaps in a recent Instagram photo dump that make a very convincing case for digging through your old bathroom drawer at your parents’ house.
On Wednesday, Bieber included not one but three photos on three separate occasions in which she’s wearing the unmistakably late-‘90s, early-2000s hair accessory, proving that the zig-zag headband (also known as a shark tooth headband, or, if you were a Delia’s devotee, simply the headband) has once again graduated from nostalgic relic to stylish staple.
In one mirror selfie, Bieber lets the matte, black headband push just enough hair away from her face, keeping it otherwise loose and effortless. In another snap taken during what appears to be a run in a weighted vest, her hair is pulled back into a bun, with the comb headband serving an especially practical purpose. Yet another selfie shows the same accessory styled with tiny sunglasses and, like in the sporty selfie, wired earbuds, which only adds to the Y2K of it all.
This isn’t Bieber’s first flirtation with the style. She recently appeared in a Miu Miu campaign wearing a similarly nostalgic accordion-style headband, suggesting this isn’t just a one-off styling choice but part of fashion’s ongoing love affair with early-aughts accessories. And considering Miu Miu has more or less become the patron saint of Y2K revivalism in the last few years, the connection feels anything but accidental.
Some trends deserve another chance, don’t you think? The zig-zag headband may have once lived alongside butterfly clips, roll-on body glitter, and primitive flip phones, but in 2026, it actually feels surprisingly modern. All that’s missing is the frosted lip gloss—and honestly, give it a week (and expect it to be called “glazed” lip gloss).
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