Why Korean perms are taking men’s hairdressing by storm worldwide

Draw a graph measuring the proliferation of the male permanent wave, and it will most likely match one charting the popularity of K-pop groups and K-dramas.

Wilson Wong

May 5, 2023 – 9.15am

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The modern men’s perm is loud for a hairstyle so soft. On TikTok, the hashtag #menperm, referring to one of the latest hair trends to be born from the app, has garnered more than 20.7 million views.

Those videos often begin with a man in a salon chair, pictured from the shoulder up. The camera orbits around his head just before a final shot of his crown: silky, voluminous waves lacquered with the aplomb of K-pop boy bands.