Game Changers: Five Celeb Hairstyles That Had a Huge Impact

The Ohio-born star epitomized the girl next door with her Dawson’s Creek character, Joey Potter. But Holmes went from down-home cute girl to uptown glam girl when she hooked up with Tom Cruise, found BFF Victoria Beckham, and cut her hair into a very sophisticated jaw-skimming bob. Women everywhere applauded Katie’s newfound style and rushed out to copy it. Katie has since appeared on Broadway and will play the one and only Jacqueline Kennedy in the television miniseries The Kennedys, scheduled to be released in the United States this September. No doubt, Katie’s chic hair transformation will help her channel her inner Jackie O. to play the part of a lifetime.

Plenty of famous men and women have shaved their heads for film roles: Demi Moore for G.I. Jane, Natalie Portman for V for Vendetta, and, most recently, Jake Gyllenhaal for End of Watch. However, none of these shaved heads garnered nearly as much attention as Britney Spears’ buzz cut. When she took matters into her own hands at a barber shop in Los Angeles on February 17, 2007 (pictured here), it seemed the end of the pop princess. But a few more stints in rehab and several court appearances later, Brit managed to hunker down for a while and get a hold of herself. Now back on track, Britney has released her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale, and is playing sold-out shows looking better than ever. Way to bounce back Britney.

It’s not clear if we should attribute Joaquin’s dramatic transformation from snarly- lipped hunk to snarly-haired caveman to his actually losing his marbles or to a case of “I’m-sick-of-being-in the-spotlight-so-now-I’m-going-to-pull-a-prank.” The cause is still up for debate, as we haven’t seen or heard too much from him since. In 2008, Joaquin announced he was embarking on a rap career and retiring from film. He then appeared in the mockumentary I’m Still Here, which he later claimed was the reason for his zany behavior. But we have yet to see him emerge from his cloistered life. Will we ever see Joaquin on the big screen again? Only time will tell.

Watson, now looking a lot less wizardly school-girl sidekick and a lot more like Mia Farrow in Rosemary’s Baby, has made a decent initial effort of distancing herself from nearly a decade of playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series. Watson, who is featured on the cover of _Vogue_’s July 2011 issue, confessed, “I have had no control over my life. They found me and picked me for the part. And now I’m desperately trying to find my way through it.” Well, you must be finding your way all right so far since you just bagged your first U.S. Vogue cover. Maybe there is life post–Harry Potter after all, Emma.

Men’s hairstyles typically don’t elicit too much attention. Unless, that is, you’re a man who’s had waist-length braids for most of his adult life. In May 2010, Willie shocked fans with the Haircut Heard Around the World when he replaced his signature pigtails for more of a Dutch-boy look. This veritable change has, however, not damaged his country cred much. Willie’s current U.S. tour has been racking up rave reviews, and he’s still averting the law. This June, Willie found out his marijuana possession charges were being dropped and that he would not have to spend time behind bars.