From Noughties football fields to major Met Gala fashion moments, there has been no hairstyle more historically monumental than a full-blown buzzcut. The buzzcut has long been an expressive statement of rebellion, whether it be harnessed via a commanding role (think Charlize Theron in Mad Max or Demi Moore in G.I. Jane), via an editorial photoshoot (Kim Kardashian's CR Fashion Book's 10th anniversary cover) or adopted full-time for a personal style transformation (cue Florence Pugh and Doja Cat).
Now Emma Corrin has traded their signature blonde buzz in favour of an au natural black hue, staying true to their close crop. For the 'The Crown' Celebration Finale Corrin took to the red carpet with a new take on their signature buzzcut.
As for the latest celebrity to enter Hollywood's star-studded repertoire of shaved heads? Harry Styles. And we now have our first clear photo of it, at last. Reports of Styles' drastic hair transformation began circling this week, after the singer-turned-actor was spotted at a U2 concert at the Las Vegas Sphere, where he is rumoured to set up residency in 2024. Having just received our first clear shot of the former One Direction star's new 'do at a Pleasing event this week, it's safe to say that the public response has been as dramatic as the cut itself; TikTok views pertaining to #harrystylesbuzzcut have amounted over 20.2 milliom views and counting. Pondering the potential return of buzzcut season for 2024, we explored the cultural phenomenon around shedding all of your hair and why we continue to be obsessed by celebrity's shaved heads.
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Kim Kardashian was this year's most unexpected shave-ee, sporting a closely buzzed crop for her CR Fashion Book cover shoot in September. The done-it-all TV personality traded glossy Hollywood extensions temporarily for a true 90s shaved head; we'd liken it to the iconic Girl, Interrupted cut.
Styles' My Policeman co-star, Corrin, committed to a permanent shaved head at Wimbledon this year, while another of Styles' on-screen partners, Florence Pugh, shed her signature lengths in favour of a statement buzzcut for the Met Gala. Pugh's transition followed a carousel of various blunt bob wigs and structural up-dos, which she debuted throughout the 2023 award season. In an interview with Radio Times, Styles' Don't Worry Darling co-star explained the cause for her drastic Met Gala cut.
'I wanted vanity out of the picture,' she said. 'Hollywood is very glamorous—especially for women—and it’s hard for an audience to see past that. Whenever I’ve not needed to be glam or have a full face of makeup, I fight to keep it that way. It helps the audience.'
And that was only the start of the experimentation. Since then, Pugh has debuted a series of vibrant hues from baby pink to fiery reds, before recently settling on a iced platinum for her grown-out pixie. If you asked us to whistle down our favourite, her 2000s boyband blonde for the return of the ELLE UK Style Awards would be our very biased pick; who doesn't love a noughties beauty throwback?
Speaking of iconic third millennium buzz, the timing of Harry Styles' major trim is unmistakable. It's no secret that the recent Beckham docuseries has sent a whir throughout the world of beauty. From a 608% uptick in searches for Victoria Beckham’s eponymous clothing line to a surge of Bend It Like Beckham-ready headbands for SS24 (see: Givenchy, Maryling, Tibi and Andreadamo0), we're still taking eager inspiration from pop culture's answer to British royalty. Bring on the rebirth of the Beckham buzzcut.
From returning to the screen following the end of SAAG strikes, to entering the new life era synonymous with shaving your head, exactly why Harry Styles has adopted this new trend remains a wonder to us. The important thing is that in light of these new shots, we're nothing short of obsessed.
Katie Withington (she/her) is the Beauty Writer, at ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar. Working alongside the ELLE UK Beauty Team, she covers all things beauty for both print and digital, from finding backstage make-up trends at London Fashion Week and investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, to unzipping the beauty bags of Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie. Prior to joining ELLE UK in 2022, Katie studied (BA) Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion and has previously contributed to Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima.
![jodie turner smith new bob met gala new york, new york may 05: jodie turner smith attends the 2025 met gala celebrating superfine: tailoring black style at metropolitan museum of art on may 05, 2025 in new york city. (photo by dimitrios kambouris/getty images for the met museum/vogue)](https://cdn.statically.io/img/hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-2213610212-688772f19e73e.jpg?crop=0.500xw:0.750xh;0.257xw,0.0204xh&resize=360:* "Jodie Turner-Smith new bob The 2025 Met Gala Celebrating "Superfine: Tailoring Black Style" - Arrivals")
