Is blonde hair the new softboi uniform?

Blonde men have been around longer than Eminem’s buzz cut or Brad Pitt’s Fight Club phase. The prototype was not human, it was plastic. In 1979, Mattel’s Malibu Ken arrived: peroxide hair, baked-on tan... This was the beginning of Kenergy. It was aspirational, even if it came out of a box. Decades later, the look has waxed and waned through boy bands, buzz cuts, and platinum rappers, resurfacing now in 2025 as the easiest way for men to announce a reset.

In Apple TV+’s Platonic, Seth Rogen’s character, Will, is sitting in his best friend Sylvia’s (Rose Byrne) kitchen, dressed in a garbage bag, as she slathers bleach onto his salt-and-pepper pate. “Is this supposed to be burning my scalp so much?” Will questions. “That’s just the dignity leaving your body,” Sylvia retorts. “You’re a grown man bleaching your hair. It’s ridiculous.”

On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Rogen commented on why they put the scene in.

“In the show, my character was sort of going through a midlife crisis and trying to cling to youth. At the end of the first season, I was like ‘What would a sad midlife crisis look like?’ So, I cut my hair very short and I bleached it. And then by the time the show came out, that actually became like a cool thing guys were doing.”

Blonde has cycled through so many archetypes, it could be its own genre. There’s lived-in blonde, butter blonde, the 2000s platinum buzz, old-Hollywood leading-man blonde, and the DJ-at-Socials, call-it-what-you-want blonde. Now, it’s less about edge and more about vulnerability. Ryan Gosling’s frosted tips, Austin Butler’s soft champagne, Nicholas Hoult’s icy fade, and Nicholas Galitzine’s romantic blonde all read gentler than the platinum domes of the 2000s. Blonde can signal a glow-up or a crisis—sometimes both—which is why, in 2025, it’s become the ultimate softboi accessory.

The allergy to grooming has worn off. TikTok’s endless churn of before-and-afters has made beauty experimentation feel normal. No one’s embarrassed to bookmark a bleach tutorial or show up at the salon with an inspo video. And because men have fewer reinvention levers than women, hair becomes the obvious arena.

Blonde logic

The draw is simple: transformation without real commitment. What once signalled rebellion now codes closer to sensitivity, a different kind of performance. With the death of toxic masculinity, blonde hasn’t lost its chaos—it’s just wrapped in softer packaging. For some, it’s the grooming equivalent of grey sweatpants, a flattering shortcut that delivers more than expected. For others, it’s mystifying. “My first thought when someone wants to go blonde is, uh, why?” says celebrity hair and makeup artist Mitesh Rajani. “I don’t find blonde attractive, so I don’t get it.”

The counterargument is visual. Blonde sharpens a jawline, brightens skin, and throws bone structure into focus. Even the most average faces tend to photograph better once lightened. It’s also why a sudden blonde turn can serve as a neat diversion from cosmetic tweaks. TikTok, of course, has a term for it: the shiny object technique.

Bleach, please

The peroxide urge usually coincides with a turning point. Bleaching has long been called the male equivalent of getting bangs: a breakup, a move, a new job, or simply boredom manifesting in the bathroom mirror. The hair grows out, the moment passes, but the impulse to mark change with bleach has stayed consistent. The guys doing it will tell you as much.

For Indian-origin Londoner Jeremy Tristram, 23, his new blonde hair was a mix of a breakup haircut and a long-held desire. Inspired by actor Tom Blyth from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Tristram says the change has brought unexpected attention. “I’ve gotten a lot more of the ‘Oh, where are you from?’ as soon as someone new hears my accent,” he explains, adding that he believes it gives him “more ethnic ambiguity”.

Mumbai-based videographer Kris Arshad says going blonde was a fun risk. “I was open to the fact that I might not like it... But it was always a fun experience.” Inspired by Frank Ocean's pastel hair, he noticed the change made him more approachable. “Kids, especially, love seeing something unique,” he says, adding that his hair sometimes invites a quick chat or compliment. However, he was surprised by how comfortable strangers were with touching his hair, “like it’s suddenly public property”.

What, like it’s hard? (Plot twist: it is)

Blonde hair is just another checkpoint. Founder of Hot Hair Balloon, Anchal Morwani, agrees: “Honestly, my first thought is: are you ready for the commitment? Blonde is beautiful, but it’s not just a colour; it’s a lifestyle. The upkeep, the tone, the condition of your hair... Those things matter more than the actual ‘going blonde’ moment.” First-timers, the hairstylist and colourist adds, often underestimate the work. Thanks to dryness, regrowth, and endless toning sessions, most end up going darker again or cutting it off within a year. But for the fully committed, bleach becomes identity, even as the hair itself deteriorates.

Celebrity stylist and colourist Hiral Bhatia is blunt about the type: “We divide people into three personalities. Whispers go for subtle shades. Talk is for people who try browns or something safe. Blonde? Blonde is out there. You’re not ashamed to be the centre of attention.”

The practical side, though, is less fun. Blonde hair shifts tone, roots show fast, and ends fry. “Use a bond-repairing treatment like Olaplex, Wellaplex, or K18,” Morwani advises. “Blonde and heat don’t go hand in hand—excessive styling can destroy already fragile hair.” Bhatia agrees: “Mix Olaplex into your pre-lightener, always. Then keep a silver or blue shampoo in rotation. Just don’t overdo it.” It’s playful, it’s obvious, and it’s temporary. You can try it once and never revisit, or you can make it your whole identity until your scalp begs for mercy. Done well, it’s a quick lift. Done badly, it’s at least a conversation starter.