Actor Justine Lupe unintentionally matched sisters and executive coproducers Erin and Sara Foster at Netflix’s FYSEE “Nobody Wants This” ATAS event in Los Angeles on Sunday with dulled roots and blond highlights folded within their wavy hair. The women were joined by their male costars Adam Brody and Timothy Simons, as well as their fellow female castmate Jackie Tohn at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. 

While Tohn decidedly stayed true to her long, pitch-black tresses on the red carpet, Lupe and the Fosters noticeably tinged their light blond hair with breaths of dusty, cool-toned brown hues, following suit with a mod trend that’s risen in the TikTok-beauty stratosphere dubbed “recession blond.” 

Recession blond refers to the decision many women have made recently to grow out their natural roots in a bid to save money after years of bleach or platinum blond upkeep. The look is meant to be low maintenance, requiring little, if any time spent with foils in at the hairdresser. Roots are either grown out naturally or immediately stripped of the stark blond color to speed up the process of going darker.

Many stars such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Cara Delevingne and Sofia Richie pioneered the trend a while back, while others such as Millie Bobby Brown have in the past month or so fully phased out their blond to become a full-blown brunette. 

The style may resemble an “old-money blond,” hair color characterized by warm, natural-looking shades of blond, yet it’s the opposite. A recession blond is a balayage’d proverbial red flag for the economy and the ways it’s causing people to cut back on luxury expenses. The point is that it shouldn’t cost a lot of money to keep up with. 

According to Sunday Salon in North Carolina, different shades of blond require different appointment schedules if a client wants to keep their dark roots covered. Platinum blonds, for instance, typically need touch-ups every four to six weeks. “Forgiving” styles like balayage and highlights usually need touch-ups every six to 10 weeks. Appointment costs vary depending on location and colorist. 

Wider conversations online have centered around the universal concept of “recession indicators,” signs the economy is headed into the red. Besides a decrease in consumer spending, others include the prevalence of reverse gentrification, an increase in secondhand shopping and rising unemployment rates.