If standing on business were a hairstyle, it would hands down be a bob. The blunt, chin-length cut evokes effortless chicness, even in its most tousled iteration. The natural texture of Black hair automatically adds volume to a bob and gives it dimension that requires a lot more styling and manipulation to achieve on finer hair. Bobs are versatile, too, and can be styled anywhere from a sleek, silk-pressed version to a curly bob with micro bangs. The short style may seem like a commitment, but taking cues from the celebrities who have worn the look, it’s more versatile and easier to maintain than you think.
There has even been a resurgence of the ’90s box braids bob that works as a nice fall switch-up to summery boho braids. If you’ve been simmering on the style, get inspired by these 22 variations of the bob hairstyle for Black hair that span the gamut from curled and ultra sleek to blunt and banged.
Blunt Bangs
Ciara, master of the hair switch-up, wore the most iconic iteration of the bob hairstyle that, with these blunt, above-the-brow bangs, feels vaguely reminiscent of Michelle Pfeiffer in Scarface.
Sleek Swirl
Kelly Rowland is everyone’s short hair muse. This version is all about contrast. Hairstylist Kiyah Wright created a sharp side part, slicked the crown, and kept the ends loose and slightly flipped so the style didn’t look too stiff like a helmet. The standout, though, is the single swirl that gives retro, flapper vibes on an otherwise modern style.
Old Hollywood Glam
Hairstylist Coree Moreno went for and perfectly executed a classic Old Hollywood curly bob. If you’re not ready to fully commit to a cut, try curling and pinning the ends under to recreate this style into a faux bob.
Silk Press Lob
Olympic gymnast Jordan Chiles’s bob leans more on the longer, lob side, but adding a slight bend to the ends of the smooth style keeps it perfectly balanced in bob territory.
Slicked Side
Bobs typically frame the face, but hairstylist Hos Hounkpatin let Ryan Destiny’s stunning glam get most of the shine by slicking her short cut behind the ear on one side.
Sharp and Fiery
Keke Palmer is a true hair chameleon, but the bob doesn’t get any more classic than this. She kept her style simple with a blunt cut, centre part, and reddish brown colour that adds both dimension and playfulness.
Layered Ends
Gabrielle Union opted for added texture with curtain bangs and choppy layers around the jawline. Not having a sharp centre part also makes the style feel less rigid.
Roller Bangs
Nara Smith’s entire aesthetic serves vintage, but she leans into the vibe even harder here with tightly curled side bangs and ends that throw the style right back into the 1950s and ’60s.
Braided Part
For the 2025 VMAs, hairstylist Yusef , who has also worked heavily with Rihanna, created some accents on Tyla’s straight bob in the form of cornrow parts. He sliced a deep-v into her bob, then made two braids within the part for added texture.
Tousled Wave
Halle Berry has been rocking this wavy bob for a minute. Her version, which is more beachy and tousled, proves you don’t need every hair carefully placed for the cut to look chic.
Subtle Texture
Ayo Edebiri’s bob is a hybrid of several styles on this list. Overall, it’s slick and blunt at the base, but to add some movement and texture, especially if you’re wearing a wig, loose waves worked in from the browline down will keep it flowing.
Well Rounded
If you take the more general vintage vibe of Nara Smith’s bob and combine it with Zendaya’s Old Hollywood red carpet look, you get Karrueche Tran’s smooth but full-of-body bob.
Micro Bangs
To punctuate the point that the micro bangs and wind-flipped ends were, in fact, the moment, Jodie Turner-Smith ditched her eyebrows for the occasion.
Centred Staple
Kerry Washington took a detour from some of her longer-haired looks for this smoothed-down lob that kept its bounce thanks to the slightly rounded ends.
Bowed Bob
At Wiederhoeft’s spring/summer 2026 runway show during New York Fashion Week, Oribe Principal Artist of Global Design, Kien Hoang, helped us envision what braids might’ve looked like during the Victorian era with this intricately twisted faux bob that he topped off with a bow created using pieces of hair.
Highlighted Waves
Adding chunky highlights is one of the easiest ways to give a bob some life. The perfectly coiffed waves, as seen here on Kami Crawford, also help shave a few inches away from the shoulders to transform longer hair into more of a bob look.
Split Personality
If you don’t want to commit to either a sleek or curled bob look, do what Karen Pittman does here and try both in one style. One side is smooth and blunt, and the other has a loose curl and more volume around the jawline.
Deep Side Part
Part positioning completely changes a style. The root of this one is similar to a smooth, bumped-end bob seen on Palmer and Washington, but by shifting the part from the centre to the side, the style becomes less serious but still about its business.
Tucked In Tricks
It’s hard to tell whether Jordyn Woods actually chopped her hair down or if she’s faking a bob by tucking her hair into her coat. Either way, test out the style before locking in on the cut by creating a faux bob.
Flipped Ends
Every once in a while, Teyana Taylor forgoes her signature pixie cut for a new look like this sleek and slightly asymmetrical bob that she topped off with a baker boy hat.
Slicked Smooth
If you don’t want to worry about keeping the ends of your bob perfectly snipped, try Taylor Russell’s curled and ear-tucked style as a hack.