Harry Styles is one-fifth of the most popular boyband in the world, One Direction. These five boys took the internet by storm in 2010 when they were put together by the infamous Simon Cowell on The X Factor. One of the defining factors of this highly successful pop group is the ever-changing (and ever-growing) hair of Harry Styles.
1. The X Factor Era
At the young age of 16, Harry stole our hearts with his curls and dimples as he sang "Isn't She Lovely" by Stevie Wonder in his audition for The X Factor. While the judges panel was quick to vote for Harry to move on to the next round, they didn't believe he would be strong enough on his own later on. Thankfully, four other boys (Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne, and Zayn Malik) were on the same path and Simon Cowell thought it best for them to form a group, to which they placed third.
2. The "Up All Night" Era
Due to One Direction's growing popularity, the fans demanded both an album and a headlining tour--and that's what they got. Not only did the "Up All Night" era give us the band's first album and headlining tour, it also gave us this iconic hairstyle from Harry.
3. The "Take Me Home" Era
Arguably the best hairstyle that Harry has had, thus far. Their second album and tour provided us with Harry's introduction to both a hairstylist and a hairdryer. This deadly combination made even the loyal Niall followers (me!) convert to being a Harry stan.
4. The "Take Me Home" Bandana Era
When Harry started wearing bandanas to push his rapidly-growing hair out of his face, it was a monumental occasion. The bandana almost gave Harry the bad-boy image, but we all knew it was a facade.
5. The Marcel Era
The first single off of One Direction's third album, "Best Song Ever," was accompanied by a music video starring all five 1D boys playing different characters. Harry's character, Marcel, was the self-proclaimed artistic genius behind the One Direction "movie" that was being discussed in the music video. Different from his normally curly hair, this slicked-back hairstyle gave Harry the extra touch for the nerdy look he was going for (but we all secretly loved it).
6. The "Midnight Memories" Era
Not much had changed from the "Take Me Home" era, well, except for the length of his quiff. If you're confused on the word "quiff," it's a lock or curl of hair brought forward over the forehead. Harry certainly did it justice.
7. The "Midnight Memories" Bandana (with Longer Hair) Era
No one was really sure what to think when Harry began to grow his hair out. Was it a phase? Did he just not have time for a haircut between recording number-one albums and touring the world? Whatever the reason, you'd be lying if you said you weren't intrigued by the change we were heading towards.
8. The Long Hair Begins
It was confirmed: Harry was beginning a journey of hair growth and we were not prepared for what was to come.
9. The Mane Continues
We were sure it wouldn't go this far. I mean let's be honest, by this point, Harry's hair had started looking better than most of ours. Harry, please spill: what products did you use and how often did you wash your hair?
10. The Man Bun
Once a trademark "lazy girl" hairstyle, Harry perfected it when he grew his hair out long enough to throw up in a bun. #Blessed
11. The "Made in the A.M." Era
Admit it, we all thought the world was coming to an end when One Direction posted a statement starting with "After five incredible years Zayn Malik has decided to leave One Direction ." The One Direction fandom was in turmoil, and rightly so, as the insanely-talented Zayn just up and left the band, leaving us with questions such as "who will continue the legacy of high notes?" Our boy Harry came to the rescue starting with their first post-Zayn single, "Drag Me Down." Maybe we would survive the Zayn-pocalypse yet, especially with the glorious locks Harry had yet to cut.
12. The End of the Hair... and the beginning of an acting career?
Fangirls around the world were devastated when One Direction announced an 18-month sabbatical beginning in January of 2016. Equally as devastating, on May 6, 2016, Harry Styles posted a picture (see above) on Instagram with the caption: "Whoops. #Littleprincesstrust." The saint that we've all come to know and love had grown his hair out (and put us all through a whirlwind of emotions) to ultimately donate it to little girls fighting cancer (swoon!). Following this news, it was also announced that Harry would be starring in the Christopher Nolan film, "Dunkirk," alongside Tom Hardy. Does anyone else feel like their wildest dreams are coming true?
Harry, thanks for letting us have a front-row seat to the wild ride that is your hair. It's been a good one.
