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The 2025 MTV Video Music Awards delivered plenty of viral beauty moments, but one retro hairstyle stole the spotlight: crimped hair . On the red carpet, celebrities revived the zigzag texture that once defined the late '90s and early 2000s, proving that the old staple is back in high-fashion form.

Held at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ, on Sunday, Sept. 7, the VMAs red carpet was a mix of sleek ponytails, rhinestone nails, and Old Hollywood waves, but it was crimping that felt like the most surprising (and nostalgic) comeback.

The look, marked by its distinctive ridged texture, has been bubbling on TikTok for months under names like "crimp curls" and "mermaid waves." Unlike the stiff, uniform version of

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