This Is Ben… Now

If you need further proof that the human experience is complex and elastic enough to adapt to all of life’s many exaltations and sorrows, look no further than Ben Affleck. Over the past decade or so, Affleck has emerged from one cocoon and another, emerging over the years as an existentially exhausted icon, a phoenix rising from the ashes, and just a dad trying to stay cool and keep it together. This is a man who dresses for the seasons: When Affleck reunited with his old flame Jennifer Lopez in 2021, he donned meaningful trinkets from their first go-round. And earlier this week, amid rumors that he and Lopez were in the midst of a divorce, Affleck reincarnated again.

Out in Los Angeles over the weekend, Affleck looked every bit a man going through…something. While we’ve grown familiar with Affleck’s laid-back, Dunk-heavy school dropoff uniform, the elements of the actor’s latest ensemble—oversized aviators, dramatic new haircut, boxy leather jacket, and a Red Hot Chili Peppers tee—escalate like the Vince McMahon meme.

The transformational power of the haircut is well documented. Relationship-drama-induced crops are such a regular occurrence among famous women, in particular, that Cosmo has a slideshow of 67(!) different breakup haircuts. Affleck seems to have gotten the memo from his Hollywood colleagues: The Air star didn’t merely shed the look he’s sported over the past few years—he gave his noggin a severe makeover. The closely cropped sides and short tuft up top don’t quite qualify as a faux hawk, but that hasn’t stopped Page Six from calling it that. Semantics aside, it’s a haircut that feels aimed directly at achieving a younger look. (I can’t help but think of Liz Lemon’s dad taking a “gentleman’s intermission” on 30 Rock.)

It’s not just the haircut, though. The generic ’90s rock T-shirt—which, granted, Affleck has been into for some months now—and the armored leather biker jacket aim for a bad-boy effect: a man unbothered by what’s in front of or behind him.

Affleck’s many looks over the years point to a man attuned to his emotions. After all, it was his divorce from Jennifer Garner that sparked his infamous phoenix back tattoo. At first, Affleck denied the tattoo was real, explaining it away as fake for a movie he was working on. Affleck eventually came to embrace the ink, though. “I love my tattoo,” he told Ellen Degeneres in 2019. “I’m very happy with it.” Now, Affleck is embracing another new look and the many leather jackets and haircuts it requires.