'Beautiful young lady' - Emily Ratajkowski unveils new hairstyle in smouldering Instagram selfie

Emily Ratajkowski has set pulses racing with a new Instagram selfie, and it's surprisingly not because of her bikini-clad body.

The 26-year-old model, who has become the new face of hair company Kerastase, stunned in a close-up selfie that showcased her new tousled hairstyle.

Ratajkowski, who is renowned for her smooth, sleek locks, looked a far cry from her usual self as she worked the new curly hairstyle, which was created with Kerastase products.

Shooting the camera her famous doe-eyed expression with very minimal makeup, the topless star captioned the shot: "Messy and shiny hair ✨ by @kerastase_official #aurabotanica#kerastase #kerastaseclub #sponsored."

Some of her 16.5 million fans went wild over the picture, with one person commenting: "You are so beautiful," as another put: "Woooow stunning."

A third added: "Such a beautiful young lady."

Ratajkowski initially received criticism on becoming the face of the hair brand due to her announcement on Instagram.

Before editing the post, she said: "Hair is a fundamental part of beauty, femininity, and identity. So excited to announce that I am the new face of @kerastase_official ! Welcome good hair days! Shot by @inezandvinoodh ✨ #Kerastase #KerastaseClub #sponsored."

Some fans were disappointed by the model's statement, with one person telling her: "Hair doesn't equal femininity or beauty. What u just said is incredibly stupid."

While someone else said: "take activist out of your bio".

The London-born model is the latest ambassador for Kerastase, with her first campaign being shot by fashion photo legends Inez and Vinoodh.

In behind-the-scenes footage, she is heard saying: "It's amazing how your mood changes when your hair does, and these products make it easier."

Ratajowski, who is no stranger to sending out mixed messages about feminism, said in an interview with Elle about the campaign: "What was great about this Kérastase campaign is they hired me for me.

"They'd done their research. They know who I am. That's what they wanted to come through in the campaign. They weren't just hiring a model because of a superficial image."

"They really like capturing what makes someone individual or a little bit odd. They'll take a pretty girl and find what makes her unique. I definitely feel like that's what they found in me," she continued.