The Top Bleach Blondes of All Time, From Madonna and Debbie Harry to Cara Delevingne and Karlie Kloss
This week, supermodel Karlie Kloss debuted a new platinum blond hair color at the Christian Dior fashion show during Paris Haute Couture, but she’s far from the first It girl to pick up the bleach: Cara Delevingne, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Swift, and Jennifer Lawrence have all played with platinum. It’s a shade that reads instant rocker chic, having been pioneered by icons like Debbie Harry, Madonna, and Courtney Love — and before them, by Brigitte Bardot, who flirted with bleached locks around the time of Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Mépris (a natural brunette, she went blonde before ascending to It girl status). Here, find the most iconic bleach blondes of the past half-century. Because blonde ambition is forever.
1
Brigitte Bardot was among the first starlets to harness the power of the bleach; though she had a thriving acting career as a young brunette, it wasn’t until she went blonde that she ascended to It girl status.
2
Debbie Harry’s band wasn’t called Blondie for nothing. She maintained an edgy, choppy platinum ‘do throughout the band’s ’70s heyday.
3
Courtney Love took Debbie Harry’s grunge look and supersized it, pairing straggly platinum locks with smeared lipstick and silk slip dresses.
4
“Blonde Ambition,” indeed: Madonna’s hair may have varied in length, but her penchant for white blonde has stayed the same.
5
Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon’s hair has ranged from dirty blonde to brown, but in the early 2000s she went full platinum.
6
No Doubt-era Gwen Stefani was particularly fond of the bleach; though she’s dabbled in warmer tones since her band’s zenith, her look has stayed pretty consistent.
7
Posh Spice-era Victoria Beckham opted for hair several shades lighter than her very, very tan skin, a quintessentially ’00s look.
8
A natural brunette, Soo Joo Park bleached her hair before embarking on a modeling career, and has since won legions of fans (with Karl Lagerfeld at the front of the pack).
9
For the 2013 Met Gala “Punk: Chaos to Couture,” Hathaway bleached her usually dark brunette hair to go with her Valentino gown.
10
Sky Ferreira has made silvery-white hair with dark roots along the part something of her trademark.
11
Kim Kardashian stole the Balmain show at Paris Fashion Week when she stepped out with her newly bleached hair for the first time.
12
Jennifer Lawrence’s hair has gotten blonder and blonder as 2016 has progressed; she showed off a totally bleached out look at the premiere of X-Men: Apocalypse, May 2016.
13
Kristen Stewart debuted her newly bleached locks — with a hint of dark root showing through — at the Cannes Film Festival, May 2016.
14
Taylor Swift went full platinum on the cover of Vogue‘s May issue, accompanied by a newfound penchant for Saint Laurent and a dark lip.
15
Charlize Theron is the latest star to keep going blonder and blonder this year — when she showed up at the Cannes Film Festival in support of The Last Face, she revealed a freshly bleached ‘do.
16
Cara Delevingne stepped out with platinum locks in a playful french braid during Paris Fashion Week.
17
Model Karlie Kloss debuted her platinum locks as she attended the Christian Dior show during Fall 2017 Couture Paris Fashion Week.
