The Love Island Star Iris Kendall Reinvents Herself With a Sleek Bob Haircut by Chris Appleton

24 June 2025

Iris Kendall, the charismatic contestant from Love Island USA, has taken a bold stride in her beauty evolution with a chic bob haircut courtesy of celebrity stylist Chris Appleton. The transformation, revealed on July 23 in a TikTok video posted by Appleton, marks a departure from her signature long honey‑blonde locks. The clip opens with Iris seated in Appleton’s salon chair, her cascading waves turned to face the mirror as he prepares for the chop.

As the resonant snip of scissors cuts through the length of her hair, the camera cuts, and then he spins her around to unveil the striking new style. Iris now sports a sophisticated bob that frames her youthful features and exudes modern confidence. Appleton, renowned for styling some of the world’s most high‑profile celebrities including Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez, aptly captioned the video with “A hot new bombshell enters the Villa and gets a Chris Appleton”

Social media reacted with enthusiasm, with Love Island fans flooding the comments in praise. One viewer wrote “Giving Kristin Cavallari,” referencing the reality star known for her sleek bob, while another simply declared “Omg Iris slay!!!!!!!! 100 % the right decision” The effusive reaction highlights how a well‑executed haircut can become a moment of cultural resonance within reality television fandom.

Before the reveal, Iris had shared her long honey‑blonde tresses in a July 23 Instagram story, captured in moments of affection with fellow castmate Pepe Garcia‑Gonzalez after their stay in Fiji came to an end. With their whirlwind Love Island connection still fresh, many fans noted how the new bob gives Iris a refreshed presence mirroring her new chapter following the finale, in which she and Pepe secured fourth place.

The timing of the haircut is particularly poignant. The Love Island USA villa offers a highly curated setting where contestants are under constant observation. Amid the glare of cameras and daily drama, appearance becomes part of the narrative. A hairstyle change on the show isn’t just personal it's symbolic, signaling growth, reinvention, or newfound self‑assurance. Iris’s departure from long waves to a precise bob coincides with her burgeoning relationship with Pepe and her transition back to life outside Fiji.

It is also a strategic beauty move. Appleton’s choice to cut Iris’s hair suggests an intention to give her a fresh aesthetic one that will endure beyond screens and into post‑show public life. The bob is timeless and versatile and easily styled for interviews, red carpets, or everyday settings. For Iris, whose public profile has swiftly grown through her time on Love Island, the haircut is both a practical upgrade and a statement of confidence.

Iris herself posted alongside the video, sharing the moment with her followers, who have watched her journey unfold on television and online. The transformation was as much for TikTok virality as it was personal. And virality it garnered. Fans echoed their excitement, applauding Iris for taking the leap and trusting Appleton’s vision.

Meanwhile, behind the camera, Pepe continues to voice his support. He and Iris have emphasized mutual respect and maintained friendships with fellow contestants, even after the finale. Their shared experience, both emotional and aesthetic, appears to have provided a foundation for this new season in Iris’s life.

In the crowded arena of reality TV stars, small yet emblematic moments like a fresh hairstyle can redefine image and identity. For Iris Kendall stepping into a sharp bob is more than a trim it's a pivot in her self‑portrayal. She enters the next phase of her public journey with a look that radiates maturity and boldness.

Having just exited Fiji and stepped away from the villa’s intense bubble, Iris ends one chapter and begins another. The bob is her herald of metamorphosis and a nod to the woman she has become through cameras, connections, and covetable style evolution. In the world of Love Island and beyond she remains a captivating presence reimagined in a cut.