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Blonde is back, baby: from Bella Hadid and Kristen Stewart at Cannes, to Beyoncé and Marvel’s Pom Klementieff, there’s a reason your favourite celebrities are lightening up their locks
STORYCarolina Malis
Celebrities of all stripes have gone blonde as a means to renew and reinvent themselves – as well as defy expectations – but it takes work to pull the look off
When Bella Hadid stepped onto the Cannes red carpet this year with glossy, golden-blonde strands, the message was clear: blonde is back. Achieved with the help of colourist Jacob Schwartz and a 14-hour process, the transformation was anything but subtle: a clear pivot from her usual brunette.
After all, Cannes is where celebrities go to reinvent. With the world watching and couture turned up to eleven, the red carpet becomes a stage for beauty debuts. This year, French actress Pom Klementieff’s icy platinum hair stood out sharply against her typically dark-haired portrayal of Mantis in the Marvel universe. Kristen Stewart, too, returned to Cannes with bleached roots and soft pink ends, years after debuting her first blonde bob back in 2016 on the same red carpet.
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Of course, going blonde has always carried a certain weight. Historically, blondness has worked as a kind of cultural short cut in Western beauty: flirty, ultra-feminine and just rebellious enough to keep things interesting. There’s a reason the term “blonde ambition” conjures an entire pop culture mythology, one built on Marilyn, Madonna and Beyoncé in her golden-blonde prime. The shade may vary – ash, beige, strawberry – but the subtext rarely changes: going blonde is a move.
This year’s blonde revival may feel sudden, but it’s been bubbling up for a while. Emma Stone reminded everyone she’s actually a natural blonde when she debuted a platinum mane in 2017. Jennie from Blackpink showed up at Paris Fashion Week that same year in creamy blonde, leaving behind her signature dark locks, and even the Kardashian-Jenners have cycled through just about every shade imaginable.
“Going blonde has never just been about aesthetics – it’s about recognising agency,” says Patrice Williams-Lindo, CEO of Career Nomad and an expert on the cultural and career subtext behind aesthetic shifts. “Whether it’s a rebellion against expectations, a reclaiming of visibility, or a quiet refusal to blend in – or even a combination of all three – blonde becomes a badge.” She adds that for Black and brown women especially, the move “often signals disruption, ‘I will not be invisible; even if there are attempts of my being erased.’”
These days, with screens acting as both stage and mirror, going blonde is one of the boldest ways to debut a new era. Billie Eilish knew exactly what she was doing when she went platinum in 2021, ushering in a softer, more classic aesthetic alongside a new album. And Lindsay Lohan, long known for her signature auburn hair, went blonde in 2024 as she eased back into the spotlight, a quiet but intentional change aligned with her return to work and public life.
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