Gwendoline Christie is known for playing powerful, fierce, and totally unique characters in film and TV, which is why her hair - both on and offscreen - has a lot to live up to.
Having found fame as the badass Brienne of Tarth in the HBO drama series Game of Thrones, Gwendoline is no stranger to switching up her hairstyle for the sake of her job.
Filming the first season of the show meant a big change in her physical appearance. Her mid-length blonde locks were replaced with an iconic blonde pixie cut, and the transformation took some getting used to.
“I found [cutting my hair] deeply upsetting. It’s such a minor thing, but I think women tie-up so much of their femininity in their hair,” she told SFX in an interview.
“I certainly did – being six foot three and having that gone and playing such an androgynous character, I felt I’d lost so much of the person I identified as me and who I knew. It felt like a bit of a death.”
Having short hair isn’t as limiting as many people think. Over the years, and throughout her time on Game of Thrones, Gwendoline has rocked multiple shades of blonde and has experimented with a range of styles on red-carpets and in her downtime.
Since saying goodbye to Brienne, Gwendoline has grown her hair out, with recent images showing her cool blonde locks at a shoulder-grazing length. Having visited Josh Wood’s Atelier, Gwendoline is clearly enjoying the freedom of being able to grow her hair out.
Now that it’s a little longer, she has more scope to play around with styling techniques, as seen in these gorgeous structured waves from 2019.
As someone with a cool skin complexion, she can rock the brightest blondes without ever looking drained or tired. If any celeb could ever inspire us to try an ice-blonde or ash-blonde shade, it’s our Westeros warrior.
Gwendoline’s Instagram page is proof that femininity isn’t defined by long hair, and that short-haired ladies still have plenty of options when it comes to switching up their style. With the right products, short locks can look like a glamorous throwback to 1920s flapper styles.
With options to go longer, shorter, brighter, or darker in the future, Gwendoline is forever one of our biggest hair inspirations. Which look do you think she rocks best and would you ever be brave enough to go super-short?