'Aggressively Millennial' Woman Tries Gen Z Hairstyle—Doesn't Go Well

Sometimes, a fresh new hairstyle is all it takes to feel reinvigorated. Some may opt for a bold new color or bangs, but one millennial woman has revealed what happened when she attempted to change her usual side part.

Danielle Lipple, 28, has had a side part since she was a teenager, so the idea of changing it felt very strange. Even so, she was happy to follow the advice of her social media followers who implored her to mix it up.

Taking to TikTok to share the process (on the account @accapelli), Lipple, from Detroit, showed how she restyled her hair to the center, as favored by Generation Z. Despite having to wet her hair, straighten it, and comb it relentlessly, Lipple still wasn't sure about this new style, telling Newsweek that "it doesn't feel like me."

The video of Lipple, who jokingly describes herself as "aggressively millennial," putting the center part to the test has gone viral, with over 5.2 million views and more than 291,800 likes on TikTok.

Woman trying new part in hair
Danielle Lipple, 28, trying out a center part for the first time. Lipple has had her side part since she was a teenager, so the thought of getting rid of it is still too hard... @accapelli / TikTok

"I've had so many comments saying I would look good with a middle part, so I thought, why not? I'm looking to upgrade my wardrobe, so why not see how my hair can change too," Lipple said.

"I didn't like it at first, but I think it was because my haircut was so dark underneath. I got my hair lightened soon after and I liked it better, but still not as much as my usual part."

In the caption alongside her video, Lipple joked that she thought "middle parts were exclusively for Gen Z," but she may be warming to the idea. She's even started parting her hair closer to the middle now. Who knows, maybe she'll be persuaded by the center part soon enough.

The online reaction to the video has been heartening to see, as she says many social media users offered her tips and styling advice, while others insisted she should just do what feels right for her.

She continued: "A lot of people were honest and encouraged me, so overall it was positive. Some people thought I was stupid for not knowing how to part my hair. But it wasn't that serious, I just wanted to randomly give it a go in the moment without preparation."

This viral video was far from Lipple's usual content, as she regularly posts TikTok videos to show what it's like living with a vascular birthmark on her face, raising awareness of the condition and sharing makeup tutorials for concealing it.

She frequently gets comments and messages from people asking about her birthmark, but Lipple found it refreshing that the focus of the reaction this time was about the millennial hairstyle and how she could style it best.

"I was born with a large facial birthmark that affects my lower lip and when I make videos that don't specifically mention my birthmark, I get so many comments asking what's wrong with my lip," she told Newsweek.

"This video didn't get a lot of comments about my lip, and that's unusual. I was happy that my video found the right side of TikTok, where people don't comment on appearances in a negative way. Most comments were about my hair, which was like a breath of fresh air."

After sharing the video asking if she should go for a side or middle part, Lipple was inundated with over 17,100 comments on TikTok. One person wrote: "You look 22 with the middle part."

Another TikToker responded: "as a millennial who hates middle parts, I'm so sorry but the middle part does actually look sooo good on you."

While another comment reads: "Am I the only one who thinks the side part looks better?"

Do you have any funny viral videos that you want to share? We want to see the best ones! Send them in to life@newsweek.com and they could appear on our site.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Alyce Collins is a Newsweek Life and Trends reporter based in Birmingham, U.K. with a focus on trending topics that ... Read more

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