Mariska Hargitay Looks Like a Total Badass with Short Black Bouncy Hair (PHOTO)
The Law & Order: SVU star has said she loves to “play around” with different styles.
Ever since she made her debut as Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit back in 1999, Mariska Hargitay has cut her hair super short, she’s dyed it blonde, and she’s slicked it all the way back. And somehow, every hairstyle is as iconic as the last.
In 2000, for instance, Hargitay was the epitome of millennium style when her midnight black hair was styled in an edgy-yet-playful short cut.
Mariska Hargitay rocked short black hair with a middle part in 2000
Mariska Hargitay appears at premiere of ‘Frequency,’ New York, April 26, 2000.Photo: Steve Eichner/Getty Images
In April 2000, less than a year after the very first season of Law & Order: SVU premiered on NBC, Hargitay attended the New York City premiere of Frequency, the sci-fi thriller starring Dennis Quaid and Jim Caviezel. At the star-studded event, Hargitay’s hair was cut short, falling just below her chin, and dyed black. Styled with a middle part, the SVU star’s hairdo also featured some subtle curls on the ends to give the chic look a little volume and bounce.
Hargitay also wore a sleeveless black leather ensemble, paired with a long gold necklace, that perfectly complemented her cool-meets-glam Y2K look.
Photo: Getty Images
Mariska Hargitay loves to “play around” with her hair and “try new looks”
Hargitay’s hair has been through many eras, and she loves to experiment with different styles. Though she did admit to Allure that she hasn’t loved every single one of them.
“I love to play around and try new looks, but I’ve definitely had some hair crises over the years,” Hargitay told the magazine in a 2023 interview. “I had short hair for a while, and then I hated having to grow it out. We didn’t have the styling right, and I made some mistakes with the color too. I was trying stuff out and didn’t have the experience with hair or the attention to detail that I have today. Now I know immediately what works and what doesn’t, but it took me some time to get there.”
Now that Hargitay’s in her 60s, she’s in her “badass era” and is feeling better than she ever has.
“I think as we age, we step into our power,” Hargitay said on The Drew Barrymore Show. “Our focus of what’s important narrows down and we get time and space back. I think that the gift that I have is clarity.”