Did the side ponytail really make a comeback in 2007?  It’s hard to say definitively, as the soft and almost romantic look was far different from the one made popular by the valley girls and mallrats of the 80s.  Whether it was worn sweetly and demurely a la Suzanne Somers’ Chrissy Snow from Three’s Company or funky and spunky like Cyndi Lauper, the look was fun, easy, and eternally youthful.

Sometimes brushed all to one side, or gathered together with a center part resting side on the head, the side ponytail was pretty much for the youth of the times.  Sure, you could be 80 and try to rock one, but it would probably look like you were trying too hard.  Pop culture was way into the trend, featuring pre-teen TV characters, like Punky Brewster and Red from Fraggle Rock, sporting the style that screamed innocence.  Other variations on the side ponytail have included the mini-ponytail that was in the bangs and off to the side.  There was even the side braid, an entirely more granola version of the side ponytail.

One must be careful when wielding the powerful side ponytail.  It’s easy to not realize how far the tail is sticking out from the side, making it easy to whip someone in the eyes.  Side ponytails were a dangerous accident just waiting to happen; perhaps that’s what made it so edgy and cool to wear back then.  So, even if the more recent side ponytail look isn’t the same as it was a couple of decades ago, it’s nice to imagine the youthful innocence found in pushing one’s up-do to the side.