But, with that in mind, and under the presumption that the mystery celeb, if they exist, is not Machine Gun Kelly, then who could it be about? TikTok has made its decision. 

Chapter 2: Evidence

The theory that the mystery celeb could be Harry Styles was first posited on TikTok on July 7 by user @abbi.henry. With almost five million views, she details in the video the original anonymous submission and gives her reasons why she thinks it could be the “As It Was” singer. 

“He did say [that] when he goes out in public and doesn’t want to be spotted it’s really easy to do”, Abbi says, adding that the best way to do that would be to have no hair. Considering Harry’s luscious waves are so infamous (so much so they became a public topic of mourning when he cut them off for his role in Dunkirk), the theory grabbed attention. 

Since then, videos from fans analyzing fancams from recent Harry Styles tour dates across Europe have gone viral, some gaining more than a million views. 

The slowed-down clips, which are mainly from Harry’s Dublin and Manchester concerts, show what appears to be Harry’s hair coming away entirely from his head, first near the hairline and second at the back where a wig would sit. (All very pixelated, of course, to aid in accuracy).

Since the first few videos went viral, fans have jokingly jumped on the trend, fuelling the idea that the singer might wear a toupee and is hiding his “bald era” from the world. One user, named @allthelovesoph, details in one of the most viral videos about what is being playfully dubbed as “Baldarry,” a rundown of the entire saga. 

Chapter 3: Conclusion

So what’s the conclusion? Is Harry Styles really bald? Our take: probably not — or the singer would have to be investing in some James Bond-level secret, spy formula, not-on-the-market glue to be keeping that hair on as he flails around the stage as his life depends on it to songs like “Kiwi” and “As It Was.”

It’s likely just the usual cycle of fan conspiracy theories, with content created by fans playfully roasting their faves landing in the lap of the wider internet and spiraling into something far bigger. So, if it’s not Harry, who could it be?

There are other theories out there. One follower of DeuxMoi hypothesized that it could be Jared Leto, but another, who claims to be a hairstylist with first-hand knowledge of his scalp, shut that down quickly. People have theorized it could be Tyson Ritter of the band The All-American Rejects because of the “dirty little secret” line in the original rumor. Other popular guesses include Justin Timberlake or The Weeknd, for, well, no reason other than we think they just want it to be either of them. 

Whatever the truth — that Harry Styles is bald, that he isn’t, that someone else is, or that it’s simply a trick by an anonymous internet user hoping to get some discourse brewing — if someone does choose to wear a hairpiece to be more self-assured, then good for them! As noted by GQ, over half of men will experience some form of male pattern baldness by the age of 50, and for many of them, it may start as early as their teens or early twenties.