HIGHLIGHTS

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Kristen Stewart has been under constant surveillance since she surfaced as the face of Bella Swan in the Twilight saga films over two years ago. Everything-from her love life to her style to some questionable pictures that have been snapped of her, umm, enjoy some substances on her down time-have been splashed across the pages of gossip columns and blogs. Even in so-called serious publications, the entirety of Kristen’s interviews have featured her trying to fend off rumors about an alleged Robert Pattinson romance or defend allegations that she’s an unhappy, ungrateful star. It’s safe to say, then, that the press hasn’t exactly been buddies with Kristen; and some of the comments made about her fashion sense and particularly her recent changes in hair styles haven’t been all that positive. So, I’m going to take the path less traveled and throw some support her way-because when you really look at it, Kristen Stewart has the potential to really help women break through and take some risks when it comes to personal style.

In 2009, Kristen starred as Joan Jett in the biopic, “The Runaways.” While most actresses would have donned a wig and made sure to not lose an inch of their precious locks, Kristen embraced the chance to fully adopt her character and chopped off her long, wavy reddish-brown hair in favor of a classic Joan Jett, punk-rock black ‘do. She understood that to fully immerse herself in Joan Jett’s history, she had to really become the character: so in a brave sweeping gesture, Kristen changed her look and style almost overnight and really became Jett. Immediately, gossip and style columns had a field day, bashing her “unkempt” and “greasy” rocker look. It was labeled “unfeminine,” and every time she stepped out onto the red carpet, stylists everywhere wondered why she wasn’t trying harder to hide her mess of a hair. But what everyone failed to see was how Kristen valued her craft and her profession more than what gossip columns were saying about her. She stepped out proudly and confidently, trying different styles that worked with her short and layered look. We started seeing her don more hair accessories and play with makeup techniques that went along with her edgy look. That’s what really caught my attention about Kristen Stewart: it wasn’t the short punk hair or the jet-black color. For me, Kristen’s confidence and desire to really delve into every aspect of her character and trade stood out more than a choppy hair cut.

Kristen Stewart is one of the few actresses that has really put herself out of her comfort zone and adopt whatever hairstyle her characters require. She’s been blonde and long, dark and short, brunette and wavy-she’s really done it all. She doesn’t pay attention to negative publicity about her hair (of all things to criticize and actress for!) and keeps stepping out confidently, rocking whatever look she needs to rock to continue entertaining fans across the world. Kudos, Kristen: hopefully your smart and brave decisions when it comes to hairstyles will rub off of other women who are contemplating stepping out of their own comfort zone.