Whether blondes have more fun is up for debate, but in Chris Appleton’s case they definitely have more fame.
While the out celebrity hairstylist has made a name for himself working on some of the most famous tresses in the world (Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez are just some of his clients), Appleton’s striking features and platinum mane have also been an identifiable part of his Hollywood brand.
He’s been giving Ken doll vibes years before Ryan Gosling’s job was beach.
How about we take this to the next level?
Subscribe to our newsletter for a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
Related*
What speedo? 15 times Chris Appleton proved he’s a shirtless board short gay
Chris Appleton likes to keep a bit more modest when he’s tanning his soaking wet abs.
But that wasn’t always the case.
On Wednesday, the 41-year-old shared an emotional post where he explained his early struggles prior to winning British Hairdresser of the Year in 2010. This was before his Blond Ambition glow up, when he was just another adorable chestnut brown twentysomething trying to get his.
“I faced rejection after rejection from every beauty agency I approached—some even laughed when I shared my vision of leaving a mark in the world of hair,” he wrote. “I found myself completely broke. At one point, I couldn’t even afford my train tickets to London and had to hide from the conductor just to make the trip.”
He ended the post by explaining how his determination was key to finding success and urged others to persist because “your breakthrough might be just around the corner.”
Behold brunette twink Appleton:
Appleton elaborated further on his journey in a new interview where he described how Jennifer Lopez actually discovered him after seeing his Instagram posts.
“So everything I did, I posted, and I got a call from Jennifer Lopez’s team one day and they said, ‘Are you available to do hair in Vegas for her Vegas show?’ I was still living in Leicester [England] at the time, thinking, ‘How does someone like J-Lo know who I am?’ That’s the power of social media,” Appleton told Man About Town.
However, his big break almost never happened because Appleton thought he was being punked.
“But I actually ignored the first email. I thought maybe it was spam. Then I got another one and I was like, ‘What if I did it? What if I moved to America? What does that look like?’” the father of two added.
“So I decided to do it. I remember finishing a job on the 23rd of December and I moved on the 24th of December. I packed two bags. I left everything and I never went back.”
The rest, as they say, is herstory!
On top of his high-profile clients, Appleton is a correspondent for The Drew Barrymore Show and hosts beauty segments on the Today show. He’s also creative director for Color Wow and a brand ambassador for Shark Beauty.
While Appleton doesn’t attribute his career trajectory on being blonde, it obviously hasn’t hurt.
Check out more sizzling images of Appleton from his photo shoot with Man About Town below:
Related*
Chris Appleton has moved on with a hunky new man following divorce from Lukas Gage
Chris Appleton hit the beach with Argentine art dealer Federico Debernardi.
Sign up for the Queerty newsletter to stay on top of the hottest stories in LGBTQ+ entertainment, politics, and culture.
