Actors and other celebrities live in a kind of fishbowl where their every action is scrutinized – much less their appearance. A minor wardrobe mishap becomes a viral social media post; it’s understandable that they are sensitive when it comes to looks.
It takes time to develop a public persona and personal style, and with wigs and stylists, it’s easy to make temporary changes. Still, some celebs have taken the bold step of completely changing up a look that fans have come to know and love.
Sometimes, it was just time for a change. In other cases, change was the point.
10 Madonna Is The Original Pop Changeling
Hair color is just one of the aspects of Madonna’s look that has changed over the years, from her natural brown early in her career to the platinum blonde that became her trademark, back to brunette – or partly. Her overall style went from a cute, funky 80s pop starlet to a sexy and sophisticated style maven. Lately, her look has pushed the boundaries of what people expect to see on a woman her age – but pushing boundaries was always part of her persona.
9 Zac Efron Went From Kid To Style-King To Dad-Bod
Since his first really big role came as Troy Bolston, student, in the High School Musical trilogy, it's understandable that Zac Efron might want to distance himself from his younger days (and roles) with a change of style. He went from a preppy student look to stylish sophistication - even a platinum blonde phase. Then, in 2020, his reality show Down to Earth showed a new Zac - the dad-bod Zac with a beard and a look that can be described as natural.
8 Sophie Turner’s Hair Color Change Made All The Difference
Fans were used to seeing Sophie Turner in red hair, whether it was in the blockbuster Game of Thrones, or as Jean Grey/Phoenix in the X-Men movies. What most fans probably didn't know, though, was that blonde is her natural color, and she was dyeing her hair red. In fact, she had to eventually switch to red wigs because of the damage it was doing to her hair. In this case, it's hair reverting to normal after years playing Sansa Stark.
7 Mickey Rourke’s Passion For Boxing Changed His Face
Mickey Rourke was actually an amateur boxer during his teenage years, before he ever got the acting bug, and even fought in the 1971 Florida Golden Gloves bout. Around the same time, he started acting, and that took precedence for about 20 years.
He became known for his classic – albeit slightly dishevelled – good looks and a string of high profile movies. He decided to go back to boxing, and it drastically changed his looks. But, when he came back to acting, he eventually found his niche in darker and villain roles.
6 Alicia Keys Style Evolution Made A Statement
Multi-Grammy winner Alicia Keys changed up her hair from long ponytail to bob on the reg earlier in her career. That all changed in 2016, when she decided to go make-up free for a photo shoot for her new album, and she never looked back. She advocates for natural beauty and natural hair, and has even made red carpet appearances since then make-up free. Why did she do it? She said in interviews that she just felt too dependent on make-up, and that she feels freer – and more beautiful – without it.
5 Cara Delevingne’s Drastic Hair Cut Works For Her
Most working models have to keep their looks the same – it’s how their agents market their services to potential clients. When you become a supermodel and then actress, though, an adventurous sense of style keeps you in the headline. Cara Delevingne’s look has always been sophisticated, but she made waves when she cut off her long hair into a pixie cut for a role and then kept it that way. Short hair suits the model/actress with striking eyes, and she’s made the most of it with make-up and accessories that highlight them.
4 Kristen Stewart Left Her Vampire-Girl Days Behind
Kristen Stewart played a natural looking teenage beauty in the blockbuster Twilight movies. Although she of course added a more sophisticated layer of style in her real life, she kept her natural dark hair with its gentle waves.
Since those days, she's become known for her work in edgier indie movies and a style evolution that saw her chop off those dark locks. Enter sculpted dos and heavy eye-liner. She’s become a darling of the fashion world for her daring sense of style.
3 Lady Gaga’s Look Never Stops Changing
Some celebs, especially those who perform in the public eye, understandably want to maintain a specific kind of look, and stick to it over the years. For Lady Gaga, though, change is the whole point. She's gone from anything-goes shocking to edgy fashionista to classic Hollywood glamour girl, and just about everything in between. While she never stays still for long, looking over the last decade or two of her style evolution, she's gone from going for shock value to (seemingly) valuing classic style.
2 Joe Jonas Went From Lush Waves To Buzz Cut
Singer-songwriter Joe Jonas is set to return to acting in an upcoming movie. Usually, that means not changing up your style too drastically. But, Jonas and wife Sophie Turner also welcomed a baby in the summer of 2020, so perhaps that's why he decided to chop off his trademark dark wavy hair and bleach it light blonde. In October 2020, he posted a pic to IG with his hair dyed fuchsia pink. He was raising awareness for breast cancer month, but it does seem like light, very short hair is here to stay.
1 Katy Perry Is A Pop Chameleon
Katy Perry was blonde in her freshman year at high school, but reverted to her natural dark hair when she became a singer while still in her teens. Her look was pretty natural until she hit the charts with I Kissed A Girl in 2008, when she switched to Old Hollywood glam with big lashes and lips, along with her styled dark (then blue, pink, red, pink, and blue) hair. In 2017 she went for a drastic change to a platinum pixie cut.
