Kristen Stewart Has Had Quite The Hair Transformation

Although it may have been the "Twilight" movies that made Kristen Stewart a household name, her sense of style and fearless approach to fashion have proven she's a woman of many layers. While Stewart has certainly rocked looks that Bella Swan would have hated, she's also kept her fans and the media intrigued by what she'll do next — stylistically speaking.

One of Stewart's biggest transformations — in addition to pretty much being the ambassador of the pantless trend — is her hair. This is interesting, considering what she had to say in a 2014 interview with Into the Gloss. Back then, Stewart mused over all the things she'd do to her hair if she were not an actor. "I would cut it more; I would dye it more," Stewart told the website. "At some point I want to do a total boy cut, completely — not a pretty, girly version — like a straight-up James Dean haircut. And then, I'm definitely going to shave my head before I die."

Apparently, being an actor didn't stand in her way after all because Stewart has made it very clear that she isn't afraid to switch things up and go to extremes with her haircuts and color choices. From her early days in the industry with her natural color to the jaw-dropping platinum buzzcut and everything in between and afterward, these are Stewart's hair transformations to inspire your next look.

Although it wasn't her first film, 2002's "Panic Room" proved that Kristen Stewart wasn't just someone to watch but an actor who was going to be around for a long time. The movie premiered when she was just 12 years old, and it was clear that Stewart was absolutely able to hold her own alongside legendary costar (and former child actor) Jodie Foster. Also, similar to when Foster was about that same age, Stewart's look was very much one of a tomboy — as we can see with this no-frills, short cut, and what appears to be her natural color.

"If you looked at pictures of me when I was 14 or 15, you couldn't tell the difference between me and my brothers," Stewart told Into the Gloss in 2014. "I looked like a boy, fully. I really like extremes. I wear jeans and t-shirts and am a total tomboy, but at the same time, when I pull out all the stops [for an event], I want to f***ing go for it, polarized in the other direction from my reality." While Stewart continued to keep her look low-maintenance and simple for a few years, once "Twilight" rolled around, it was time to change her image to do the character Bella Swan justice. 

In 2008, Kristen Stewart entered her Bella Swan era, and she kept her hair dark brown and long, which made sense considering the "Twilight" films were made back-to-back. In a September 2009 interview with Interview Magazine, Stewart even admitted that part of her life was not exactly exciting because she couldn't escape Bella Swan. "The sad thing is that I feel so boring because 'Twilight' is literally how every conversation I have these days begins — whether it's someone I'm meeting for the first time or someone I just haven't seen in a while," Stewart said. "I have a responsibility not only to [the role] but to everyone who has personal involvement in the books ... As much as I'm proud of that movie and I do like it, I feel like maybe I brought too much of myself to the character."

However, when she got the opportunity to play Joan Jett in 2010's "The Runaways," Stewart knew she had to cut her hair. "I knew I could wear a wig and still play [Bella]," Stewart told Time in 2009. "And I knew if I was going to fit 'The Runaways' into this time frame that they were going to just have to deal with it ... it ended up being totally fine. And it gave me an opportunity to do something different in between." The look and character were indeed completely distinct from Bella Swan, and in an interview with US Weekly, Joan Jett herself said that Stewart "did an amazing job." 

In a 2005 interview with Marie Claire, Kristen Stewart spoke candidly about her life, including how she "lit [her] universe on fire" with the decisions she made in her personal life and, of course, what was going on with her hair. With Bella Swan officially behind her, so many avenues in front of her to tackle, and a new take on life, Stewart cut her hair short — and not for a role, but because she wanted to do it for herself.

"I cut my hair off when I turned 23. The effect was astounding," Stewart told the magazine, adding that her hair had been a "crutch" she could hide behind when she needed to until the big chop in 2013. "As soon as I didn't have all that hair, I had to let my face hang out. I felt more confident than I had in a really long time. And it felt really good," Stewart said. "It sounds so obvious, but it's like the hair really did make me feel like a 'real girl.' Like I'm pretty, I'm feminine. I don't know why I valued that so much, as if that's something to prove." Like for many people who cut their hair short, it was just a matter of time before the buzzcut entered the picture.

When Kristen Stewart showed up to the "120 Beats Per Minute" screening in May 2017, she had an entirely new hairstyle: buzzed and platinum. Although not the most popular look amongst women actors, Stewart was definitely not alone in the buzzcut territory. While some actors have buzzed their locks for roles, like Natalie Portman, Joey King, and Florence Pugh, others have done it because why the heck not? In Stewart's case, she didn't need to shave it for a movie but decided a character she was playing could use a shaved head.

"I'm doing a movie in a couple of weeks called 'Underwater,' and I play a mechanical engineer that's working in an oil rig that's on the bottom of the ocean floor," Stewart told Today in 2017. "So for me, I was like, 'It's practical! I mean, I'm not going to be able to have touch-ups once I put the helmet on. I must shave my head!'"

Stewart went on to explain that she'd been wanting to shave her head for a long time. "Oh my God, it feels amazing!" Stewart told Today. "I just want to headbang all day." Stewart's daring hairdo quickly and rightfully became another iconic celebrity buzzcut.

At the 2023 Met Gala that honored Karl Lagerfeld, who was the creative director of Chanel, Fendi, and his own line of clothing, Kristen Stewart made jaws drop with her entire ensemble — from her hair to her shoes. Although by 2023 no one should have been surprised by anything Stewart wore or did to her hair — she'd actually dipped her toe into mullet territory in 2022 — this particular take on the style was more extreme, making it a standout choice for the night. Stewart kept her mullet, experimenting with different versions of it, for quite a bit, probably because she knew she looked so darn good with it. 

"It's more about leaning into an androgynous look, while it also harkens to the way it went down the runway," Stewart's stylist, Tara Swennen, told Dazed in May 2023 about Stewart's Met Gala style. "But overall the look feels very Kristen." Thanks to Stewart and a couple of other celebrities like Miley Cyrus, the mullet was a big short hair trend through the fall of 2023 and into early 2024. After that, people — Stewart included — started growing their locks out again.

In January 2025, Kristen Stewart once again surprised her fans with yet another look: bleach blonde with some beachy waves and a hint of tangerine on the ends. Although a huge contrast from what she'd been rocking in 2023 and throughout 2024, it was a phenomenal choice, and, as usual, Stewart nailed it. While it's obvious that Stewart does things on her own terms, her hairstylist, Adir Abergel, whom she's had since she was 15, deserves a ton of credit too.

"Kristen is one of my greatest muses," Abergel told Vogue in October 2021, adding that whatever hairstyle we see on Stewart is "a total collaboration" between the two. "Kristen and I will throw out a lot of references when we are working on a look. I am an avid researcher and image collector," said Abergel. When Vogue asked Abergel about Stewart's epic hair transformation and what it says about her, Abergel replied, "It would say that Kristen is fearless when it comes to self-expression. She is a true individual; she also has an incredible knowledge of references." In other words, she certainly has the mark of an icon in the making.