Beauty trends have drastically changed since 2007. Jennifer Johnson, who serves as the hair department head of the new series (and was a part of the original GG crew), says that life as a teen is just different now. Gen Z is a come-as-you-are crowd and so these new characters need to reflect that — even if they exist within the one percent. Amy Tagliamonti, the makeup department head for both iterations of the series, echoed this sentiment by keeping the makeup simple and clean in order to play off both the hairstyles and costume design. "I've pulled back the reins a bit to allow their natural beauty to shine and at times elevate it when it's necessary," she said.
The perfect examples of this are two characters: Aki Menzies (played by Evan Mock) and Julien Calloway (Jordan Alexander). Both rock some truly hot buzz cuts, both of which each actor came into the show with and now is a part of their character's personal styles. According to Mock's colorist Jackson Heller, the actor had pink hair way before joining the Gossip Girl cast, as he actually dyed it pink after losing a bet with a few friends. And Alexander's short style has been her signature for years, a detail Johnson was personally excited about.
In a business where wigs thrive, Johnson was eager to create a character that sported something less traditional. "Jordan having a shaved head is going to be a thing because I don't know any other TV show that has the lead female cast member with a shaved head," she said. If Serena's Cali-girl waves were the '10s version of "The Rachel," could Julien's signature buzz cut be the go-to for Gen Z? Johnson and Tagliamonti agree that, just like with the original cast, something special is going to happen with these newcomers — Blair would say they all have that je ne sais quoi.
While Julien's buzz cut may not allow Johnson to mix it up as often as she would've with previous characters, she does promise some bedazzled hair accessories — eventually. Buzz-cut bling does have a nice ring to it.
