Justin Bieber trims sacred Bieber hairs, earth's axis presumably unaffected

The photo you see above, taken Nov. 26 at a New York signing of his book "First Step 2 Forever," is what incited this small online riot. And though it certainly does look marginally different, it's not exactly what one would call a "new 'do."

Reasons for the confusion, as we see it, are fourfold:

1. Justin Bieber, according to our best assumptions, is an earthly mammal whose body processes the protein keratin by producing strands of hair which sprout from various parts of his Bieber body. This "hair" is constantly growing and occasionally needs to be cut to maintain its desired length. These cuts may sometimes cause slight variations in expected appearance.

2. New York, though much colder in the fall and winter months, remains relatively humid throughout the year. This humidity can have all sorts of effects on the styling and texture of human hair. In extreme cases, humidity can even cause dampness -- either from perspiration or condensation -- on the skin, sometimes forcing small tufts to bunch together. This sort of occurrence could disrupt the natural state of the hair, making it look somehow altered.

3. It is a common practice among stylists (those who cut and arrange hair in attractive manner) to implement a method referred to as "texturizing." Through the use of a sharp razor, they shorten only certain layers of hair to give it more manageable weight and movement. If one were to single out these "textured" layers of hair, one might assume that all of said hair had been cut.

4. People will go to absolutely any length to write about Justin Bieber.