Winona Ryder reveals surprising truth about her iconic '90s hairstyle

Winona Ryder was 'incredibly flattered' seeing girls using her pictures as reference at the hair salon

By Web Desk
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August 21, 2025
The 'Stranger Things' star opens up about her iconic '90s hair

Winona Ryder’s iconic ‘90s haircut wasn’t the work of a celebrity stylist. It was her own doing.

In a video interview with Elle UK, posted on Instagram Thursday, August 21, the Stranger Things star revealed that she cut her own hair throughout the ‘90s — including the choppy, short style she wore in the 1994 cult classic Reality Bites.

"All during the '90s I cut my own hair," Ryder, 53, said. "And I remember being incredibly surprised and flattered when my Reality Bites haircut became popular ... girls would go to the [hairdresser] and bring that picture in and I thought that was kinda cool."

The Beetlejuice alum went on to explain that her DIY approach was as low maintenance as it gets. "I mean, I literally just put my head upside down and went like that with the scissors, and I did that for any of my short hair," she admitted.

In Reality Bites, Ryder plays aspiring filmmaker Lelaina Pierce, a role that cemented her as a voice of her generation. Decades later, fans still rave about the effortless haircut that helped define the film’s grunge-era aesthetic.

Elle UK followers flooded the comments with admiration for Ryder’s honesty and style.

"Winona could rock any hairstyle regardless!" one person wrote, while another simply summed it up: "Legend."