7 Models Whose Careers Skyrocketed Thanks To A Haircut

By Grace O'Neill, Harper's Bazaar

A trip to the salon can provide a confidence boost, a much needed shake-up and—in the rare case that you're vying for 'supermodel' status—it can change the entire course of your career.

Just ask Karen Elson, who became a household name after swapping her blonde locks for her now-signature red; or Ruth Bell, who slotted into her new role as Dior muse after shaving her head into a buzz cut. Here, we celebrate seven models whose careers skyrocketed after a simple haircut.

Sometimes the step between 'model' and 'supermodel' comes down to a simple haircut. Here, we chart 7 models who changed the course of their career with a single trip to the salon.



1
Abbey Lee

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Though the Australian model enjoyed success while her hair was a darker brunette hue in the early days of her career, it was the decision to go peroxide blonde that made Lee a household name. Nowadays her hair flits between different shades of blonde.



2
Bella Hadid

Okay, okay, she's wearing a wig on the left. But it's good to get perspective of what Bella would look like if she reverted back to her naturally blonde waves. She dyed them brunette at a young age, and the dye job helped her carve a separate path to blonde bombshell sister Gigi.



3
Edie Campbell

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This British beauty basically rose to fame overnight after chopping her waist-length waves into a cool-girl shaggy bob. She has since modelled for the likes of Chanel, Burberry, Hermes and Saint Laurent.



4
Jessica Stam

Hands up if you didn't know Jessica Stam was a redhead? In the early days of her career Stam stuck to her natural born roots, but after dyeing her hair blonde she graduated to supermodel status, landing spots in Forbes 'World's Top Earning Supermodels' list and walking for everyone from Christian Dior haute couture to the Victoria's Secret fashion show.



5
Karen Elson

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Quite the opposite to Jessica Stam, Karen Elson found fame when she swapped her natural blonde for her now-signature red. Legend has it Steven Meisel gave her an ultimatum when he shot her back in '98: dye your hair black or red. The rest, as they say, is history.



6
Linda Evangelista

Supermodel Linda Evangelista's haircut by Julien d'Y is now a relic of fashion history. Namely because the whole process was snapped by Peter Lindbergh, including the moment Linda started crying straight afterwards. It goes without saying that the chop paid off.



7
Ruth Bell

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Ruth Bell and her identical twin sister May began their modelling careers with hip-skimming red locks. Perhaps wanting to differentiate herself from her sister, Ruth shaved her head into a buzzcut, and has since become one of the most in-demand models in the world, fronting campaigns for Dior and Burberry.

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