Hair is never just hair in pop culture. It is a manifesto you wear on your head. And when Willow Smith steps out with sculptural hair buns that feel equal parts celestial and rebellious, it is not a random styling choice. It is a signal flare. Lately, Willow’s hair buns have been doing more than holding strands in place.
They have been channeling a distinctly Björkian energy that feels intentional, playful, and deeply philosophical. Beauty as performance. Hair as sculpture. Self-expression as a daily practice rather than a trend cycle.
© Getty ImagesHair Buns as Art Objects, Not Accessories
Willow’s approach to hair has always lived closer to art installation than red carpet convention. Her hair buns are not the neat ballet-core knots of Pinterest boards. They are bold. Sometimes gravity-defying. Sometimes asymmetrical. Sometimes stacked like alien architecture. The effect feels otherworldly, which is exactly the point.
This aesthetic immediately calls to mind Björk, whose visual language has long blurred the lines between fashion, performance art, and emotional storytelling. Björk’s iconic hair moments have never been about prettiness. They have been about curiosity. About asking what happens when you stop trying to look normal.
© Getty ImagesWillow’s hair buns tap into that same frequency. They reject the idea that beauty has to be easily digestible. Instead, they invite you to sit with something a little strange and a little magical.
The Deeper Connection Between Willow Smith and Björk
This visual overlap is not accidental. Willow has openly cited Björk as a creative influence, particularly for her fearless experimentation and emotional honesty. She even covered Björk’s “Human Behavior,” a choice that speaks volumes. That song is not a casual karaoke pick. It is a declaration of artistic allegiance.
© WireImageWillow has spoken about listening deeply and intentionally to music, treating albums like sacred texts rather than background noise. In an interview with Vogue, she shared that she listens to a full album every Friday, naming Björk’s Volta as one of her recent favorites. Alongside it, she cited Jimi Hendrix’s "Bold as Love" and Joni Mitchell’s "Blue," a trio that reveals her artistic compass points clearly toward emotional risk and sonic exploration.
This connection goes beyond playlists. Willow has also appeared in a perfume campaign that used Björk’s music, further cementing that shared world of ethereal soundscapes and surreal beauty. When Willow wears her hair in sculptural buns, it feels like a visual echo of those influences. A way of wearing the music on her body.
From Whipping Hair to Owning the Narrative
From the moment Willow whipped her hair back and forth as a child star, she has been negotiating public perception in real time. What makes her evolution compelling is that she did not run from that early exposure. She alchemized it. Her hair buns feel like a full-circle moment. Where once her hair was a pop culture punchline, now it is a deliberate artistic tool. She styles it not to please an audience, but to express an internal landscape that values authenticity over approval.
There is something quietly radical about that in a beauty culture obsessed with polish and perfection. Willow’s buns are not about being flawless. They are about being present. About allowing experimentation to be visible, even messy at times. They are also part of her latest collab with Dior Beauty.
The campaign is part of Dior’s timeless and trend-forward beauty divisions, which are set to reign supreme in 2026. A-list ambassadors — Anya Taylor-Joy, Jisoo, and Willow Smith — debuted Rosy Glow, Peachy Glow, and Purple Glow fragrances, alongside lipsticks.
