Fashion

I’ve worn a middle parting since I was a teenager. Never a side part. On very rare occasions, I’ve ever-so-slightly tilted it to one side, as a tentative way of switching it up. Legendary French hairstylist Frédéric Fekkai once told me that “changing the direction of the parting can completely transform a woman’s look,” and I kept that in the back of my mind—not that I was ready for it, yet. Any experiments I had with my parting over the years were short-lived. Very short-lived. I’ve always been a stickler for my own beauty and glam routine—from skincare to bodycare—so moving the parting a few centimeters was as far as I’d go.

Photo: Getty Images

Photo: Getty Images

In the last few weeks, Scarlett Johansson and Hunter Schafer have brought back the ’90s bombshell hair: a sharp side parting that, when you move, flows dramatically. The dimension and body is brilliant. Somehow, it makes your hair look even more glossy and shimmering, with a simple flick. Then came the Victoria’s Secret fashion show, and the supermodel side part was enjoyed by Adriana Lima, Bella Hadid, and Gigi Hadid.

It’s also been enjoying more time on the runways, from Chanel’s deep and gritty side parts that hit at the browbone, to Dior’s romantic, side-swept bobs. Now we’re officially in fall and heading to winter, the side part feels like a glamorous, festive new setting.

So, I thought, maybe now I could allow myself to play with my hair. Experiment. Take a risk, even. It sounds hyperbolic, but I’m also someone who has worn black for years and rarely deviate from my yogurt and granola breakfast. Sweeping my hair to the side feels major. This was to be a big step out of my beauty comfort zone .

Frazer Harrison

Photo: Getty Images

This decision came even though beauty theory says the opposite. Let me explain: hairstylist Maria Baras told me that this type of hairstyle especially favors rounded faces, because they provide some necessary volume at the top. In a display of beauty bravery, I decided, still, to give it a try. But when I let Baras know, she actually encouraged me: “When you wear your hair in a center part, you’ll be used to that flatter, sleeker, more polished look. A side part will feel strange at first, btu I advise that you give it some time to live with.”

Ana Morales’s devoted center part.

Ana Morale’s side parting experiment.

I chose to do it on a Sunday, when I have the least social contact outside of my family. If it looked terrible, I was in my safe zone: my own bathroom, with my own brushes, my trusty Dyson Airwrap, and dry shampoo. If my boyfriend did a double take, I could do a 180—or a 90.