I Wouldn’t Recognize Jason Momoa On The Street With His New Haircut

Aquaman’s locks have been shorn. Jason Momoa shaved off his signature long hair and I don’t know how to feel about it. On one hand, I don’t know Momoa personally and he cut his hair to raise awareness about the dangers of single-use plastics. His personal grooming choices are none of my business and his haircut has already increased public knowledge of this important cause. On the other hand, I am very invested in certain celebrities’ hair — it’s fine; my therapist is aware — and have loved Momoa’s exceptionally well-hydrated waves since his brief but impactful role on Game of Thrones. Now, Khal Drogo has short hair and I’m at a loss for words. What would his Khaleesi say?

Momoa shared footage of his big chop via an Instagram Reels video that made me audibly gasp and feel vaguely faint. In the video, posted on Tuesday, Sept. 6, the Dune star appeared on screen with his scalp noticeably barer than usual. Momoa greeted the audience with a casual, “Aloha, everyone,” and then proceeded to hold up two entire braids that had already been cut off his head. Honestly, it was a lot for me, but Momoa just kept on chatting while someone with clippers continued to give Aquaman a very regular-dude haircut.

After expressing astonishment at the feeling of wind on his scalp — “I’ve never even felt the wind right there,” he said, casually, as if he hadn’t upturned my entire world — Momoa went on to explain that he was undergoing the major hair makeover to bring awareness to the scourge of single-use plastics and how much damage they’re doing to the planet’s oceans. The 43-year-old actor tagged Mananalu Water, the certified plastic negative water bottle company he founded, in his post.

While I am definitely being dramatic about this haircut, it’s been a long time since Momoa has deviated from his signature, long hairstyle. In fact, the actor hasn’t been spotted with hair this closely cropped since the early aughts. Here he is with very short hair at a Seventeen magazine party back in 2000:

Momoa appears to have spent the next few years growing out some tawny, blond locs that I’m not going to comment on except to say that if there was ever a time to embrace one’s surfer vibes through this particular hairstyle, that year was 2004.

By 2011, Momoa was rocking a lob with his natural, wavy hair texture, and the rest, as they say, is history. The actor has continued to grace screens large and small with his signature flowing hair for the past decade and his recent haircut truly marks the end of an era.

Based on this very thorough research, I’m guessing that Momoa will continue to be ruggedly gorgeous with or without his long hair, but I’m still shook, which means that Momoa’s haircut was an effective form of activism. I already avoid single-use plastics, but I don’t think I’ll be able to look at a plastic fork or water bottle without feeling slightly nauseous and thinking of my favorite long-haired celeb holding up two disembodied braids.