Zooey Deschanel with big, blonde hair is so totally wrong — yet so right

When I think of celebrities with signature hairstyles, the very first one that comes to mind, without fail, is Zooey Deschanel. She could probably get away with legally trademarking long, brown hair with bangs if she really wanted to. For the last 20 years, it's been one of the features that makes her instantly recognisable and makes other people with that hairstyle endure constant comparisons to the actor. (Not a bad thing, of course).

But on Tuesday, May 30, Zooey ripped a hole in the space-time continuum when she posted photos to Instagram showing off a new hairstyle that's a major departure from her go-to look: big and blonde.

"Who's she?" Zooey wrote in the caption of two mirror selfies, which show her loose, retro-style voluminous curls in a sandy blonde colour with a shadow root, made especially visible by the height of her hair at the crown. And it is Zooey, of course, but wow — she looks like a completely different person.

You've probably heard people remark that Zooey Deschanel and Katy Perry look like long-lost sisters, but fans in the comments can't help but notice a new fellow-celebrity resemblance while she's blonde: Christina Applegate. And they're not wrong!

This, of course, isn't the first time Zooey has been a blonde. One of the early roles that put her on the map was Jovie in Elf, when she had a shorter, flippy blonde hairstyle. And just a few years ago, in 2019, she went noticeably lighter for a She & Him Christmas performance, though arguably not a true blonde.

For most of the last two decades, however, she has been committed to the long, brown hair and bangs I affectionately call "The Zooey."

Deschanel didn't indicate what the blonde hair — very likely a wig — is for, but I'm guessing it's related to an upcoming appearance on Rose Byrne's series, Physical, which revolves around 1980s aerobics (which would explain Zooey's blue leotard).

But we'll just have to wait and see if this style makes an appearance beyond this Instagram post.

This article first appear on Allure.