Sports

Travis Kelce Addresses Backlash to Article Crediting Him With Popularizing Fade: 'I Didn't Invent That’

The 'New York Times' was called out for failing to recognize the haircut's connection to Black culture.

Maddie Meyer / Getty Images

Travis Kelce denounced the notion of the "the Travis Kelce" haircut, a name given to his signature fade by the New York Times in a recent trend piece.

"It's absolutely ridiculous," Kelce said during a Super Bowl LVIII Opening Night press conference. "And to do it on February 1st to throw me into the wolves like that, that was messed up, man. I don't want anything to do with that one, man."

Kelce then advised the reporter on how to achieve his look. "I got a good fade if you need it though, it's two on top, a nice high to mid-fade with a taper in the back," he said. "But I didn't invent that, I just asked for it.

In the piece, the Times reported that Kelce's version of the taper fade has been in-demand across the country, with barbers even replicating the style on TikTok.

“It’s basically zero on the side until you get to the top,” barber Jeffrey Dugas told the Times. “It’s a fun, easy haircut that I can do in a quick 20 minutes.”

The Times, not Kelce, was called out for its erasure of the style's origins in Black culture, with Jemele Hill tweeting that the piece gave "zero cultural context" about the haircuts roots. Hill previously called out the way Taylor Swift's viral "Swag Surfin" video was covered in the media as well.

All eyes will be on Kelce this Sunday, haircut or not.

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