The subject of Harry Styles’ hair has long been a subject of intense fascination. Last year, a controversial fan theory even went viral after speculating he might be the A-list celebrity alluded to in a DeuxMoi blind item about a secretly bald “musician/occasional actor.” “If I find out we are being robbed of a bald Harry era, I’m going to throw hands,” TikTok user @abbi.henry said in her video.
Well, that era is officially here. Styles brushed off the balding rumors an interview with Rolling Stone in August 2022, but it turns out he wasn’t opposed to trying out the look. Not everyone feels as good about it as he does, though. Since he shaved his head — and especially since TMZ published footage of his new buzz cut while he attended a U2 concert in Las Vegas on Nov. 9 — fans have been grieving the loss of his long hair.
Enter: The Bald Harry Era
To say many fans are taking this hair development badly would be an understatement, and they’re making their feelings heard on X (formerly Twitter). “i think the world fell apart after harry styles cut off his long hair,” one stan wrote, while another tweeted, “don’t speak to me please i’m mourning rip harry styles’ hair.” They’re all grieving in their own ways, with some fans “pretending not to care … so it grows back faster” and others instructing him to “stick your hair back on right now.”
Even some of Styles’ staunchest defenders are struggling with the change. “I love Harry Styles so dearly and I will defend anything he does but this hair cut is not it, I’m sorry,” one wrote. Many more felt the cut betrayed his name. “how tf are you gonna be named harry styles with no hair to style,” a critic argued.
As It Was
People memorialized his hair in photos and video, too. One fan shared a clip of him tying it back on stage and tweeted, “Harry Styles in the long hair era you will always be famous.” Another person showed a shorter but still luscious Styles haircut and wrote, “rip harry styles’ hair you were so loved by me.”
The cut-induced internet meltdown is nothing new for the singer. Styles sparked similar panic and grief when he chopped off his hair in 2016, for example. At that time, he cut off enough to donate it to the Little Princess Trust, a UK-based charity that provides real hair wigs to children and young people. The organization shared a photo of several boxes on June 7, 2016, captioning it, “Thank you @harrystyles for donating your hair. It left last week along with other fantastic hair donations, on its way to the wig manufacturer.”
There’s no word on where Styles’ freshly cut hair went this time, but he, on the other hand, appears to be spending time with his rumored girlfriend, Taylor Russell, as his fans adjust to his buzz cut.
