Lifestyle Style 'Bachelorette' Star Katie Thurston Chops Off 'Natural Long' Hair: 'Ready for Something New' Katie Thurston showed off her new hairstyle in a car selfie posted to Instagram on Wednesday By Olivia Jakiel Olivia Jakiel Instagram Associate Editor, Nights – PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Published on January 26, 2022 08:56 PM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Katie Thurston/instagram Katie Thurston is gearing up for the year ahead with a brand-new look! The former Bachelorette star, 31, showed off her chic new short haircut on Instagram on Wednesday, posting a selfie from her car right after she made the big chop. "A quick car selfie after this amazing cut by @jules_baker_ 🤍," she captioned a before-and-after post of her hair. "While I loved having a natural long look created by @colorbyally , I knew I was ready for something new in 2022. Such a talented team at @styleloungesd 🙌." Katie Thurston Began Taking Antidepressants Before Her Season of The Bachelorette Aired Tons of Thurston's fellow Bachelor and Bachelorette friends flocked to the comment section to hype up the reality star's stylish new look, with Kaitlyn Bristowe writing, "Chic af," while Emily Maynard Johnson wrote, "Love it! 😍😍." Of course, Thurston's boyfriend, John Hersey, couldn't get enough of his beau's new 'do, writing, "I LOVE IT." Paul Archuleta/Getty Images Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Thurston's hair makeover comes after the bank marketing manager addressed social media users who continuously criticized her looks during her run on the 17th season of The Bachelorette last summer. Katie Thurston Claps Back at Trolls Criticizing Her Skinny Jeans and Middle Part: 'Come for Me Gen Z' "Alright, I'm creating a new rule for myself. Anyone who wants to message me about my [hair] part, or my fashion or lack thereof, I'm just going to block you," she said on her Instagram Story with a laugh. RELATED VIDEO: Kaitlyn Bristowe Reveals Most Challenging Part of Mentoring Bachelorette Katie Thurston "I mean, I know a lot of you guys don't have any hate about it," she continued, adding that getting "suggestions" on how to tweak her look every day is exhausting. "Look, I'm just like your basic f---ing girl who somehow became a Bachelorette," Thurston explained. "But you know, I've said it before, and I'm going to say it again: It's not about the wrapping paper, it's the gift inside." "And that's what I am — a f---ing gift. So this," she said — pointing to her hair and graphic tee — "doesn't matter."