Man Buns: A Chronological Hairstory
It's a bun-derful life.
6th-7th Century BCE and beyond—Buddha

One of the Buddha's secondary physical characteristics? "His topknot is like a crown." Beat that, Bradley Cooper.
3rd Century BCE—Terra Cotta Warriors

So fierce.
1070s—Bayeux Tapestry Figures

What's under those pointy helmets? Let's assume they're man buns.
1789—Maximilien Robespierre

The closest 18th century guys get to the man bun is this powdered wig mini-ponytail. Off with his head! (Too soon?)
1825—Prince Okundaira

Not unlike the men on today's red carpet, this prince of Japan has the step and scowl down pat. And that man bun? Perfectly messy.
1970s—George Harrison

The Beatle made our heart beat a little faster when he tied his hair back while hanging out with Pattie Boyd.
1975—Riff Raff (The Rocky Horror Picture Show
The man bun, imported from the planet Transsexual.
1975-1979—Samurai Futaba (Saturday Night Live)

While John Belushi's samurai made audiences laugh on SNL, his hairdo also wouldn't look out of place today on the streets of NYC or the head of Penn Badgley.
1992—Dracula (Bram Stoker's Dracula)
Gary Oldman wows with an old-timey mupdo.
1994—Lestat de Lioncourt and Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire)
Clearly fighting over who has the better hair.
1998—Li Shang (Mulan)
Shang's Han Dynasty man bun is made even better with a red hair ribbon. And also v. broad shoulders.
2001-2004—Samurai Jack (Samurai Jack)
Simply effortless.
2003—David Beckham

Look how happy he is to be a man bun pioneer!
May 2010—Ivan Vanko (Iron Man 2)
You want your bird? I want your bun.
2011—Tom Brady

Like Becks and samurais, Tom Brady chooses the man bun for athletic convenience, not that you mind.
April 2012—Chris Hemsworth

The miracle of Chris Hemsworth's tiny glistening bun somehow manages to distract us from even Tom Hiddleston's laughing face.
February 2013—Colin Farrell

Half shaved, half bun. Still counts.
Octorber 2013—Jake Gyllenhaal

Gyllenhaal takes history into his own hands.
January 2014—Jared Leto

The 2014 Golden Globe Awards, aka THE MAN BUN RENAISSANCE. Joaquin Phoenix and Best Original Score Winner Alex Ebert also sported the mupdo.
July 2014—Leonardo DiCaprio

I'll never let go, Jack... of your greasy pulled back locks.
August 2014—Kit Harington

You know something Jon Snow (about man buns.)