Shay Mitchell's Daring New Look Is an Ode to Rock and Roll

New hair for a new year.

Shay Mitchell attends the Cult Gaia RE24 Runway Show on November 14, 2023 in Los Angeles, California.
(Image credit: Steven Simione/Getty Images)

Every New Year’s, revelers everywhere vow to change their lives after the clock strikes 12, swearing that this year will be different from those that have passed. Some people secure this change by signing up for a gym, others sign up for a class, and others usher in the new year by completely changing up their look with a makeup revamp, luxurious skin treatment, or a radical new hairstyle. One of those people is Shay Mitchell, who just rang in 2024 with an edgy new hairstyle. 

Mitchell debuted the look on her Instagram, captioning the post “new year new hair.” The carousel of images and videos shows off a short, choppy pixie cut that Mitchell swept to the side (I told you the side part was back!). Her hair was also colored jet black, resulting in an overall badass look reminiscent of classic rock icon Joan Jett—who, while she wore a mullet, always styled it in a choppy, short black style with windswept pieces adding volume at the top and on the sides.

In her collection of photos on Instagram, Mitchell also mastered the art of styling super short hair, offsetting the look with dangling silver and white earrings, sharp-edged rectangular sunglasses, and a structured blazer with squared shoulders. The style choices added to the overall irreverent, rock and roll energy of her look. 

Another icon that Mitchell seemed to channel with her new ‘do? Kris Jenner. Comment after comment on Mitchell’s post pointed out her striking resemblance to the Kardashian-Jenner clan, comparing her in particular to Kylie and a young Kris.

No matter who you think Mitchell is channeling, this brand new look is inarguably a chic, daring change for the new year. It may even usher in a new 2024 trend, inspiring hair enthusiasts everywhere to make a major chop.

Gabrielle Ulubay
Beauty Writer

Gabrielle Ulubay is a Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. She has also written about sexual wellness, politics, culture, and fashion at Marie Claire and at publications including The New York Times, HuffPost Personal, Bustle, Alma, Muskrat Magazine, O'Bheal, and elsewhere. Her personal essay in The New York Times' Modern Love column kickstarted her professional writing career in 2018, and that piece has since been printed in the 2019 revised edition of the Modern Love book. Having studied history, international relations, and film, she has made films on politics and gender equity in addition to writing about cinema for Film Ireland, University College Cork, and on her personal blog, gabrielleulubay.medium.com. Before working with Marie Claire, Gabrielle worked in local government, higher education, and sales, and has resided in four countries and counting. She has worked extensively in the e-commerce and sales spaces since 2020, and spent two years at Drizly, where she developed an expertise in finding the best, highest quality goods and experiences money can buy.

Deeply political, she believes that skincare, haircare, and sexual wellness are central tenets to one's overall health and fights for them to be taken seriously, especially for people of color. She also loves studying makeup as a means of artistic expression, drawing on her experience as an artist in her analysis of beauty trends. She's based in New York City, where she can be found watching movies or running her art business when she isn't writing. Find her on Twitter at @GabrielleUlubay or on Instagram at @gabrielle.ulubay, or follow her art at @suburban.graffiti.art