{"id":1931,"date":"2026-06-05T08:00:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T00:00:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/hot-take-amanda-batulas-pony-bun-is-not-the-enemy\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T08:00:33","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T00:00:33","slug":"hot-take-amanda-batulas-pony-bun-is-not-the-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/2026\/06\/05\/hot-take-amanda-batulas-pony-bun-is-not-the-enemy\/","title":{"rendered":"Hot Take: Amanda Batula\u2019s Pony-Bun Is Not the Enemy"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">We knew Amanda Batula was going to spark conversation at the <em class=\"italic\">Summer House <\/em>reunion, but we couldn\u2019t have predicted how much of that chatter would center on her hairstyle. The softly undone pony-bun divided the internet almost instantly. Behind all the memes and critiques is celebrity hairstylist Olivia Halpin, who has created countless standout looks. We asked Halpin to share the backstory behind the now-infamous pony-bun. Because love it or hate it, we have a feeling you\u2019ll be seeing more of the look this summer.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"you-captioned-your-recent-instagram-post-the-bun-you-love-to-hate-what-was-your-reaction-to-the-internets-response\" class=\"font-canela mb-4 mt-8 text-2xl font-light leading-tight text-black md:text-3xl\"><strong class=\"font-semibold\">You captioned your recent Instagram post, \u201cThe bun you love to hate.\u201d What was your reaction to the internet\u2019s response?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">\u201cThe caption was really me having a sense of humor about it. As artists, we put our work out there knowing not everyone is going to love every look, and the internet can be incredibly passionate. What I found most interesting was seeing so many people talking about a hairstyle. I think it sparked a conversation about beauty, trends, personal style and what glam is supposed to look like, which is interesting in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<h2 id=\"where-did-you-get-the-inspiration-for-the-pony-bun\" class=\"font-canela mb-4 mt-8 text-2xl font-light leading-tight text-black md:text-3xl\"><strong class=\"font-semibold\">Where did you get the inspiration for the pony-bun?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">\u201cI can\u2019t take credit for creating the look. We\u2019ve seen versions of it on Kim Kardashian, Hailey Bieber and on the runways of major fashion houses. We took inspiration from those moments and adapted it to match Amanda\u2019s signature effortless, chic style while balancing the femininity of the makeup and outfit.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"amanda-has-worn-a-version-of-this-bun-many-times-on-summer-house-and-youve-done-a-ton-of-gorgeous-styles-on-her-over-the-yearswhat-made-the-pony-bun-feel-like-the-right-look-for-this-reunion\" class=\"font-canela mb-4 mt-8 text-2xl font-light leading-tight text-black md:text-3xl\"><strong class=\"font-semibold\">Amanda has worn a version of this bun many times on <em class=\"italic\">Summer House<\/em>, and you\u2019ve done a ton of gorgeous styles on her over the years\u2014what made the pony-bun feel like the right look for this reunion?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">\u201cIt has been so fun to create so many hairstyles with Amanda in the past couple of years that we\u2019ve been working together. As a hairstylist, it\u2019s always my goal to make my clients feel like the most confident and beautiful versions of themselves, ready to take on whatever lies ahead of them that day. For the reunion, it was important for it to be a style that would last through an incredibly long day, create a cohesive look head to toe and also stay true to Amanda\u2019s personal style.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"effortless-is-so-often-the-goal-with-beauty-and-hair-so-how-do-you-respond-to-the-idea-that-the-look-reads-as-unfinished-or-effortless-in-a-negative-way\" class=\"font-canela mb-4 mt-8 text-2xl font-light leading-tight text-black md:text-3xl\"><strong class=\"font-semibold\">Effortless is so often the goal with beauty and hair, so how do you respond to the idea that the look reads as unfinished or effortless in a negative way?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">\u201cThe reality is that the soft, understated, effortless aesthetic is very much a deliberate choice, and one that my clients request every day. For me, effortless doesn&#8217;t mean unintentional. Every detail is considered, but the goal is to create something that feels natural, modern and authentic to the person wearing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"for-someone-who-wants-to-try-a-pony-bun-at-home-whats-your-approach\" class=\"font-canela mb-4 mt-8 text-2xl font-light leading-tight text-black md:text-3xl\"><strong class=\"font-semibold\">For someone who wants to try a pony-bun at home, what&#8217;s your approach?<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p class=\"text-md mb-6 leading-relaxed text-gray-500\">\u201cThe key to this look is creating the right foundation. I started by building body and texture with a thickening spray\u2014I used R+Co Bleu Magnifier Thickening Spray ($42)\u2014then created soft, lived-in waves throughout the hair before pulling it back into a mid-height pony with a ghd Iron ($249-$389). The placement and texture are what make the look feel effortless. Finish with a texture spray\u2014I used Living Proof Dry Volume and Texture Spray ($36)\u2014to add separation and dimension to the pony bun.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We knew Amanda Batula was going to spark conversation a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1932,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[55],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1931"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1931\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1931"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1931"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nichebeaty.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1931"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}