The Internet Is Freaking Out About This Viral Haircut

Update: Well, that was fast. Immediately following the drastic cut heard 'round the internet, model Julia Andreeva shaved her head — as you can see in the YouTube video above.

"It was her birthday and she asked me [to] shave her head, so we decided [to] make something interesting and shoot [a] video about it,” says hairstylist Aleona Starzhinskaia of HairFucker Studio in St. Petersburg, Russia, who spoke to us via Facebook message. "In a few hours, I turned her into [a] blonde and started [to] make this cut; most of this was...improvisation."

Starzhinskaia notes that this was simply for fun — as evidenced by the playful smirk on the model's face. They had planned to give the model a buzz cut all along. "It is just fashion; this is not for every day," Starzhinskaia said. "But I hope in [the] future..."

This story was originally published on February 23, 2016, at 12:30 p.m.

There's a reason people tend to stick to one haircut (and one hairstylist) for so long. Everyone has a story of a hairdresser gone rogue, chopping off an extra inch or six, and maybe even making a few of us cry. And it seems the internet has added more fuel to the fire, thanks to a new video from BarberShapp, an app that connects barbers with customers. Last Saturday, BarberShapp posted a video teasing a "quirky, stylish, and smooth" look that could be "a new trend in the making." It starts off showing a hairstylist carving deep, blunt layers into a young woman's hair.

After completing three or four rounds, the hairstylist teases the remaining long hair to add volume and leaves several pieces hanging down in front of her face. Let's just say that commenters on Facebook were not fans of the look. "I think I can safely speak on behalf of the nation by saying that this is most definitely NOT going to be a trend. I have no other words. ?" one commenter wrote (the comment has been liked 22,000 times so far). Since Saturday, the video has generated more than 8 million views, and generally, the response has not been kind. "I think I did this to myself at the age of 4 with a pair of [safety] scissors," one commenter wrote. "Looks like a crazy person who cut her own hair," wrote another. We get that this is a daring look — and one that many of us feel we couldn't pull off IRL. (Plus, can you imagine the grow-out process?) But, regardless of whether this is a real trend video, an in-process cut, or a well-timed publicity stunt, we're firm believers in expressing yourself in whatever way you want — without facing mean and disparaging comments. What do you think of this video? Sound off in the comments.