Harry’s Haircut Heralds a Haute New Era
Love was in the air this weekend as pop sensation Harry Styles and rising star Taylor Russell took in a U2 concert together in Las Vegas. But all eyes were on Harry’s newly shorn locks as he arrived wearing a short buzzcut, a drastic change from his previously longer, wavy hairstyle that had become his signature look.
Naturally, the internet exploded with reactions as fans responded to his dramatically different ‘do. The news generated over 2.5 billion searches on TikTok as people clamored to discuss the change and get a look at his transformation.
The new close-cropped style certainly makes a statement, and it’s one that’s bound to provoke a reaction. Yet Styles is far from the first celebrity to go for the big buzz in recent months.
The ultra-short cut first started trending last summer when Dune actress Florence Pugh turned heads with a cropped style at the Met Gala in May. With her piercing blue eyes and strong bone structure on display, Pugh proved the buzzcut can be beautiful.
Then in July, Emma Corrin made a case for the bold style’s wearability when they revealed a shaved head at Wimbledon. Paired with a casual tee and tennis skirt, Corrin’s fuss-free look made the cut seem effortlessly chic.
Come September, Kim Kardashian confirmed the style’s high fashion status when she posed with a buzzcut on the cover of CR Fashion Book. Although it appeared to be a wig, the images of the reality star turned business mogul went instantly viral. With severe, drawn-on brows and dramatic winged liner, Kardashian’s futuristic take on the cropped cut had her looking every inch the It girl.
With some of Hollywood’s biggest stars embracing the exposed look in recent months, it makes a compelling case for the buzzcut as an unexpected breakout trend for 2024.
However, the cut hasn’t always had such fashionable connotations. From Britney Spears‘ infamous tabloid-splashed shaved head in 2007 to the messy DIY pandemic cuts of 2020, buzzcuts have previously carried less stylish associations in contemporary culture.
But the style actually has a long and storied history as a political statement. It first gained popularity in the 1800s, when it was required for French Foreign Legion inductees. Their hair had to be shorn to around half a millimeter.
In the 1950s, the U.S. military also enforced very short buzzcuts for new recruits. And in the ’60s, skinheads used the severe style as a symbol of working-class pride.
The buzzcut also became linked to counterculture movements in the ’70s. Music legends like Grace Jones and Annie Lennox famously rocked the look, with Jones even crediting her shaved head for helping her achieve her first orgasm.
Even today, the dramatic cut retains its radical roots. When asked about her buzzcut, Pugh explained she did it to remove vanity from the equation, allowing audiences to see her raw face instead of just a “sparkly thing.”
“It helps me when I’m wearing less makeup because then I’m less of a sparkly thing on screen,” she told Radio Times. “I feel like I’m allowed to do ugly faces, like it’s more acceptable.”
So while Harry’s close crop may seem like a jarring departure, he’s joining an elite group of cultural icons who’ve used the style to break conventions and challenge traditional notions of beauty and femininity.
Love it or hate it, his daring new look ushers in an era where the buzzcut holds haute new meaning. And that’s seriously fashion-forward.
