UrbanUpdate

You probably recognize Jussie Smollett from the TV show Empire, but the 35-year-old actor/singer has been working since he was a kid. He was in The Mighty Ducks (yes!) all the way back in the ye olde days of 1992, for reference. So yeah, it’s been a minute since he walked on his first red carpet and sat down his first press interview. That said, there’s something about Smollett’s presence this summer that’s causing us to see him in a new light. His style is a little slicker and swankier (see: that dope patterned shirt), and he’s grown out his hair, which looks fantastic.

Here’s a before and after to give you a sense of Smollett’s recent grooming transformation. The guy looks great with a buzz-cut and a beard, don’t get us wrong, but the reverse is leading-man levels of handsome. That’s the kind of upgrade that makes old flames come out of the woodwork and party invites miraculously appear in your inbox. You know the vibe.

Before: At the iHeart Music Festival in September, 2016.

Frederick M. Brown

After: At the TCA Summer Tour in August, 2017.

Frederick M. Brown

Grown-out hair seems to be popping up more and more—and it looks better and better with every stylish guy who rocks it (see: Bro Flow boys like Kit Harington, Odell Beckham Jr., male model Michael Lockley, etc...). This isn’t anything like the days of the man-bun, when guys grew their hair out and promptly forgot about it. This new incarnation of flowing locks is considered, even when it’s coming off as DGAF. In Jussie Smollett's case that means some deep, defined curl, for another guy it might mean surf-brah highlights, for another it might mean slicked-back waves. The point is to take cues from whatever you were born with and really own it.

The only exception? If you're losing your hair. In that case, we don't have to tell you that short is the way to go. If you want to change up your look, try a snazzy printed shirt instead. No wait, we really mean it. As Smollett and plenty of other young guns have proved this summer, it does an equally excellent job of turning heads.

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