Celebs Who Look So Different With Their Hair In A Middle Part

The debate continues. Does hair look better with a middle-part or a side-part? While Gen Z would say that anyone who wears their hair in any style besides a middle-part is painfully uncool, older generations know that the answer isn't quite so simple. While we practice on our own heads at home, countless celebrities have stepped out sporting these different parts, showcasing the drastic difference between the two styles. The debate between middle parts and side parts has everything to do with a person's face shape. Middle parts tend to work best on those with symmetrical face shapes, while side parts flatter those with square or heart-shaped faces. 

While that seems simple enough, the battle goes on. Interestingly, whether you choose to part your hair down the middle or on the side says a lot about who you are as a person. In fact, many are throwing out the old face-shape rubric and letting their hair guide the way. After all, one school of thought asserts we've all been parting our hair wrong this whole time. The advice is to follow your hair's natural part and use that as your cue. But for those who love to change things up, there might be motivation to ignore these playbooks and try out new styles. Many celebrities certainly have, exhibiting completely different looks thanks to their changing parts. 

Simone Ashley looks dramatically different when she parts her hair down the middle. The "Bridgerton" star channeled Cher's iconic style when she attended the 2024 Met Gala and she pulled it off. Hairstylist Shon Hyungsun spoke to Vogue of Ashley's unique hair for that day, complete with an uncustomary middle part. "The original idea was to create floor-length, super long hair inspired by Cher but I adapted it as I was more inspired by Botticelli hair — more like a goddess with soft waves," Hyungsun said. The goddess effect was achieved thanks to that stunning center part. 

Catherine, Princess of Wales, has undergone a gorgeous hair transformation over the years, and a big part of this is figuring out what works as a senior royal. Her favorite style is a side part, so it's rare to spot the princess rocking the much more modern center part. When she does, her whole look transforms into a more current representation of what the royal family means for the contemporary moment. She's clearly not above trends, and plays around with hairstyles that reflect the zeitgeist. 

Christina Haack's hair transformation throughout the years has seen her play with styles that mostly incorporate one type of parting. The house flipper and designer often goes for a middle part as her daily, signature hairdo. She opts for a swooping side part for special occasions when she wants to enhance the element of glamor. Her choice to wear a middle part shows Haack's investment in contemporary style, something she brings to her design work as well. She makes the middle part a key part of her everyday work style. 

Ana de Armas famously switches up her hair part depending on the occasion, and it's clear that she can pull off either style. For major events like the Oscars, de Armas opts for the old Hollywood glamour of a side part. But when she attended the 2025 premiere of "Ballerina," a "John Wick" spin-off, de Armas pulled out all the stops with a voluminous middle part. She rocked cool, beach waves that emphasized the fullness of her natural locks, and her crisp middle part enhanced this modern styling choice. 

For some celebrities, certain hairstyles have become so connected to them that it's hard to imagine them wearing their hair any other way. Jennifer Aniston is one such star. Her middle part, along with face-framing layers, are so fundamental to her that we could recognize the actor just by her hairstyle. From the '90s to the present day, Jennifer Aniston's hair has undergone a major evolution, but she always seems to come back to the middle part. It's because the styling choice flatters her face and works with her hair texture. 

For Kim Cattrall, a middle part is equally as stylish on her as a side part, but the two styles do two very different things to her face. A middle part elongates her face and highlights its symmetry, as was the case when she rocked the center part to the 2023 Harper's Bazaar Women of the Year Awards while wearing a very geometric dress. When Cattrall spoke on stage at the PBS Shakespeare Uncovered event, she wore her hair in a zigzag side part, and the effect softened her features.

For Zendaya, a center part and a side part both have things going for them. At the 2024 Oscars, Zendaya channeled old Hollywood glamour with a side part that swept dramatically from one side of her face to the other. It was softer and more elegant. At the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony, Zendaya wore a gold cut-out dress and a sharp middle part. The effect was notably different. She was paying homage to Cher that night with her look, and her sleek center part pulled us right back to the '70s. 

Margot Robbie has the skill of adapting her look dramatically based on the event, something that came in handy when she needed to ham up the Barbiecore vibe. Her swooping side part suited the nostalgic emotion stirred up for many by "Barbie." She looked classical and elegant. However, when Robbie wore a modern middle part to the 2024 Oscars, the change was immediate. The middle part made her look younger and trendier. Her lightly tousled waves appeared effortless. She was almost too cool to be there, compared to the demure femininity of her previous side part. 

Gabrielle Union rocks both part styles so well that it's tough to choose a favorite. In January 2025, the star sported a sweeping side part as part of a stunning cheekbone bob in Paris that served up a little bit of Posh Spice energy. The side part gave her a more sophisticated air. At the 2019 "America's Got Talent" finale, Union rocked a completely different look. She wore her hair parted down the middle in a structured blunt bob. The look was playful and fun, but not as glamorous as her side part bob. 

One of the occasional complaints about middle parts is that it's harder to achieve volume. However, Scarlett Johansson shows that the opposite can also be true. At the 2025 premiere of "Jurassic World Rebirth," she wore her hair parted down the side with a wave of curls flowing down her shoulder. While the hair was coiffed and polished, it lacked the vavavoom quality of her hair in a middle part. The combination of a medium-length bob with a center part makes Johansson's hair lightweight enough that she's able to get mega volume while emphasizing her facial symmetry. 

Sarita Choudhury has the hair that can pull off either part. Since she has naturally thick, lustrous locks, both styles are loaded with volume. When she attended the the "Downton Abbey" New York premiere in 2019, she opted for a casual side part, emphasizing her natural waves. At a 2025 event for "And Just Like That" in Paris, Choudhury styled a middle part with a dreamy, strapless floral gown. The juxtaposition was a rich one; her modern, unfussy hair created the perfect balance with the statement gown and made her look modern and youthful. 

Middle parts make a lot of sense with edgier, modern hairstyles. Gigi Hadid gave the perfect case study for this when she purposely showed off dark brown roots with platinum blond hair. The style was methodically unfussy, and a middle part emphasized the high concept of her look. It wouldn't have been so evident had she worn her hair in a side part. Conversely, when Hadid attended the 2023 Vanity Fair Oscar After-Party, she wanted a classic style and so a dramatic side part with side-swept curls made perfect sense. The two different hair parts told two completely different stories. 

Rihanna loves experimenting with various hairstyles, and plays with the power of both middle parts and side parts as she chooses. While a side part is arguably gorgeous on the Fenty founder, her natural cowlick lifts her hair even higher off her face, elongating her forehead. Conversely, the length of the side part ends up covering up too much of her face. Things were completely different when she opted for a middle part with subtle, '70s curtain bangs. Her forehead appeared smaller and her face was clearly visible, making for what's arguably a more flattering style on her. 

For Taylor Swift, middle parts are so infrequent that it's almost impossible to find her in the style. The one rare exception was in her 2022 music video "Bejeweled," where Swift experimented with her hair in a really unique way. She was almost unrecognizable. We're so used to seeing Swift in her signature bangs that her face looked a little more bare without her side-swept bangs. If Swift does play with her bangs, it's typically to incorporate them into a side part. She tends of opt for this on special red carpet moments when she wants a touch of added romance to her look.

Megan Fox made headlines in July 2022 for bringing back the Millennial side part during a time when the middle part reigned supreme, and she drew positive attention to the once-cringy style. That's not to say the star doesn't sport a middle part from time to time. For more casual, day-to-day looks, Fox parts her hair down the center. While both styles look flattering on the star, the middle part accentuates her forehead and the parted hair covers more of her face, so a middle part isn't as dazzling on Fox. 

Natalie Portman can effortless flaunt completely different styles. At the 2024 Governors Awards, Portman wore her hair in a dramatic side part with half of her hair swept away from her face, giving a full and flattering view of her features. Meanwhile, at Dior's Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2024 show in Paris, Portman channeled a cool, French girl look with a middle part and loose waves. The part was much more casual and gave Portman a down-to-earth feel, though it wasn't nearly as dazzling as her side-part style. 

Fans of "Abbott Elementary" know that Quinta Brunson looks adorable in anything. The on-screen teacher matched the glamor of her plunging, yellow gown by styling her hair in loose curls with a deep side part. The choice accentuated her cheek bones and drew attention to her eyes. When Brunson opted instead for a middle part, the effect was flattering, but just in a different way. The center part elongated her face and drew attention to her perfectly symmetrical features, highlighting her eyes, eyebrows, and cheek bones. 

Angelina Jolie frequently wears her hair in a side part, so any other styling choice is a rare one. At the 2021 premiere of "Eternals" in London, Jolie stepped out of her comfort zone by parting her hair down the middle. It was deliberately modern and unfussy, a nice contrast to her high-concept tuxedo jacket and maxi skirt. The approachable middle part was a completely different choice from her typical, glamorous red-carpet style of deep side parts and curled hair. 

It's pretty rare for Blake Lively to part her hair down the middle. The star has built her career around her signature, blond locks and that distinct, undone beach style that she rocks, complete with a volume-enhancing side part. At the Michael Kors' NYFW Show in 2023, Lively parted her hair down the middle with tight, mermaid curls. The center part elongated her oval face shape. It was more playful than her usual, dramatic hairstyles with side-swept styles, though we have to say that we prefer Lively with a side part. 

Lizzo is another who looks equally attractive with a side part or middle part. The star rocked a cheekbone bob with a dramatic side part at the 2024 Oscars After-Party, channeling old Hollywood glamor, as side parts are so successful at doing. The hair choice was classical and spectacular. Lizzo changed up her look completely when she rocked a sleek middle part with her long hair pulled back behind her shoulders. The middle part showed off her facial features since there was no hair obscuring any part of her face. 

Liu Wen can make a side part and a middle part look equally cool. Her sweeping side part, kept modern with tousled straight hair, looked chic and contemporary with a black and white bouclé jacket. However, when Wen opted for a sleek middle part with a one-shoulder gown, she highlighted the angularity of her face in a flattering way. Wen is often serving off-duty model vibes and her middle part, with face-framing hair, complimented her features. The middle part made the whole look sing. 

Zoë Saldaña was a fan of the side part in her earlier years, as was the case when she attended the 2010 Golden Globes wearing a red, strapless, Louis Vuitton gown. However, in more recent years, Saldaña's matured into the middle part. At the 2025 Oscars, Saldaña wore a high-concept Saint Laurent burgundy bubble dress. Since the gown was so voluminous and unique, she kept her hair simple in a middle part. The middle part accentuated Saldaña's oval face, and offered a modern take on the night's look. 

While at the White House, Michelle Obama's style was purposeful, accessible, and sophisticated, so it made sense that she often wore her hair in an elegant side part with loose, glossy curls. Upon leaving the White House after solidifying herself as a diplomatic style icon, Obama played around with different hairstyles, often opting for the more modern middle part. The middle part elongated her face and made her look more approachable and youthful, and because there was no hair shielding her eyes. She looked gorgeous, though different, with both parts. 

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is one case where she arguably looks better with a middle part. While the model and actor will occasionally rock a side part, exuding old glamour, the swoop of hair tends to fall in her face and cover her features. When Huntington-Whiteley goes for a middle part, the styling choice makes her appear more sophisticated and fresh-faced. She's one who favors the middle part bun. With her hair completely slicked back, the luxe hairstyle gives her an edge. 

For Selena Gomez, the difference between a middle part and side part is striking. When the singer wears her hair in the latter style, she exudes charm and sophistication. Since Gomez has a slightly rounder face, the middle part elongates her face and gives her a trendier look. Gomez plays this up by styling her hair in loose, tousled beach waves. The contemporary middle part gives her a clean, balanced quality. 

Sarah Jessica Parker switches up her hair regularly, so we never know if she's going to sport a middle part or a side part. The side part offers its own charm, highlighting her thick, curly tresses. The downside is that the hair often sweeps across her face, partially covering her eyes. When Parker wears her hair in a middle part, the effect is more subdued, giving off-duty New York energy. A middle part suits the natural waves of her hair, creating an elongating effect that doesn't cover her face. 

Michelle Dockery of "Downton Abbey" is one who might look better with her hair side parted. Because the star, who plays the high-brow Lady Mary, is so associated with on-screen sophistication, we've come to expect that from Dockery even off screen. It's not just her character, though. Dockery has a naturally long, slim face and a side part balances this out by adding volume. When she wears a middle part, the hairstyle draws attention to this feature, making her face appear even longer and thinner.