Temple fade

Overview

The hair is tapered from the scalp to 1 cm in length from the edge of the hairline up 2 cm. The rest of the hair is left the same length, usually 2 -, depending on the preference of the client.

The hairstyle's origins emerged alongside New York barber's Shape-Up, edge up, or line up hair style worn by inner city youth and hip hop artists in the early 1980s. Though modern in its form, tapering and grooming techniques date back centuries, with historical and religious figures, often depicted with distinct hairstyles reflecting cultural trends of their time.

It was trendy mainly in the larger metropolitan areas of the Eastern United States, such as New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Boston, Providence, Rhode Island, Chicago, Illinois, Cleveland, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan.

Today it is seen as a staple hairstyle amongst African Americans, and is a popular hairstyle amongst Italian Americans, South Asian Americans, Arab Americans and Mexican Americans and in the American Hip hop, Pop music and House Music subcultures; as well as internationally in countries such as the UK, France, Germany and Spain.

In 2024, the haircut became part of a meme after musician Ericdoa had a YouTube livestream singing impromptu songs, including one where he sang "Imagine if Ninja got a low taper fade"; the segment was recognized for the absurdity of its lyrics, especially contrasting the preceding song about how the death of Ericdoa's own grandfather affected him. The low taper fade clip subsequently went viral, culminating in Ninja revealing in a TikTok video that he got the haircut. He has since made references to the meme during videos and streams.

Different types of taper fades

• Low taper fade – Shaved sideburns and faded around
• Mid taper fade – Starting the taper at the temple area, offering a gradual transition from longer hair at the top to shorter at the sides
• High taper fade – Larger fade area, beginning tapering near the crown or higher
• Ice pick taper fade – Starting the taper just below the ear and quickly fading back up to the ice pick sideburns lower down.

It is sometimes called the "low taper with ice picks" because the tapering starts at the same place as to where a low taper would start.

• Shadow taper fade – The fade is very subtle and leaves a slight shadow of hair on the sides and back.
• Blowout taper fade – An addition to a taper fade where bulk or weight is kept at the back.

References

References

1. Weedston, Lindsey. (2024-10-10). "Imagine If 'Imagine If Ninja Got A Low Taper Fade' Became A Meme".
2. (2024-01-17). "Popular Twitch streamer Ninja gets 'low taper fade' haircut after 21-year-old's song goes viral".
3. Ihaza, Jeff. (2024-01-19). "Meet Ericdoa, the Reason Why Ninja Got a Low Taper Fade".
4. ss-doliver. (2021-09-21). "Taper vs. Fade: A Guide For Your Next Cut - StyleSeat".
5. (2024-11-20). "Taper Fade Hairstyles for Men The Ultimate Guide - Bearded Colonel".
6. "What's the Difference with a Low and High Taper Haircut? A visual guide".
7. Webster, Kyle. (2019-11-02). "Ice Pick Sideburns: How to Do + Maintenance".
8. "Best Fade & Taper Haircuts {{!}} Low & Medium Fade Haircuts {{!}} Jude's Barbershop".
9. (2024-07-02). "Men's Blowout Taper Haircut: Modern Style Guide".