Meg Ryan’s impact goes beyond influencing us hopeless romantics who yearn for that perfect meet-cute at a bookstore or best friends to lovers trope. When it comes to the cool girl bob, we wouldn’t have our obsession with the short cut without her.
“Meg is very spontaneous, very adventurous,” says celebrity hairstylist Sally Hershberger. “I love working with Meg because we have such similarity in our style: we like to look effortless and a little undone.”
While the bob is often touted as the universal haircut, Hershberger, who has been Ryan’s go-to stylist for decades and is responsible for the actor’s most iconic cuts, says there is a secret to getting the cut just right if you're looking for that same casual glam vibe: it’s all in the way it moves.
“A bob should never be longer in the back,” she says. “I keep the bottom blunt (like a straight hard line) and chop into that a little bit. I don’t layer the bottom layers; I want that heavy, textured [look] by cutting into the bottom, but keeping that blunt line. Then I layer on top so it’s a little bit not connected.”
To celebrate Ryan's 64th birthday today, we look back at the queen of Hollywood rom-coms' best hair looks. From the cool girl bob and all its iterations to the times she's experimented with bangs (as we all do) or let her grow long, we’ll always want what she's having.
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Feathered Bob
In the classic Top Gun, Ryan went for a feathered bob. The layered look paired with bangs had major volume and was effortlessly chic.
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Luscious Curls
Hershberger explains that because Ryan’s hair is naturally thick and full, it can overpower her petite frame. That's where haircuts with layers come in—Hershberger likes to give it texture and movement, especially when it’s long. Think of her iconic cut in When Harry Met Sally, which felt floaty and unstructured.
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Sleek Lob
By the time she was filming When a Man Loves a Woman, Ryan had a shorter cut with a completely different aesthetic. She opted for a sleek and straight lob that was super chic.
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Layered Signature
It’s hard to pick a favorite amongst Ryan’s iconic bobs. But if Hershberger had to choose, it would be this layered cut from French Kiss. “It was so disheveled and it was kind of the beginning of the [iconic] short hair for Meg,” Hershberger says.
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A Bob With Edge
Hershberger credits Ryan’s bob in Addicted to Love, which she says was a bit more stylized than her usual look, for making short hair cool again in that era. “[It’s] a little more put together, but with an edge,” she says.
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Voluminous Pixie
For a softer, more romantic vibe, Ryan leaned fully into luscious curls for her short pixie for her role in City of Angels. The large curls add major volume to her naturally thick hair.
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Rom-Com Layers
By the end of the 90s, Ryan not only cemented her place as one of the romcom greats with You’ve Got Mail, but also her place as queen of the bob. She wore what would be her signature layered short cut.
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Fringe Bangs
Another pick from Hershberger, Ryan wears a red tinted lob with fringe bangs for her next role in In the Cut. “It’s simple, but she makes it look cool,” says Hershberger.
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Back to Basics
Fun fact: Ryan has the healthiest hair Hershberger has ever seen. “I’ve never seen a person’s hair grow so fast,” she says. So going from short to long and vice versa is pretty easy for the actor, as seen here at her Against the Rope premiere where she is back to her signature layered bob.
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Long Curls
Long hair looks good on Ryan. At a gala in 2006, she wore her long blonde hair with layered thick curls for movement.
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Sleek and Shine
Like many in the early aughts, Ryan went for the sleek and shiny route with her long layers. At the Metropolitan Opera’s season opening night, she opted to keep her hair down and casual.
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Tousled Curls
At the 63rd Cannes Film Festival, Ryan returned to Team Bob. Both the short curls—along with the two-toned dye job—added a bit of edge.
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Effortless Tease
At the TCM Classic Film Festival, Ryan celebrated the 30th Anniversary of When Harry Met Sally. She went for casual glam with slight waves and teased hair for added movement and volume.
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Wavy Bob
2024 marked Ryan’s first Met Gala in 20 years. To celebrate her return, the actor accompanied designer Michael Kors, who dressed her in a custom embroidered gown. She wore her signature bob with loose cool-girl waves.
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Middle Part Waves
At the 97th Academy Awards, Ryan went for classic waves to dress up her bob. Parted straight down the middle, front layers framed her face quite nicely.
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