Marilyn Monroe had her platinum blonde curls, Elvis had his sideburns, Amy Winehouse had her gravity-defying beehive, and Ariana Grande has her impossibly high, impossibly long ponytail… until now. The singer, actress, and all-round icon took the stage in Chicago with her usual high energy — but without the hairdo that has been her signature since her transformation from Disney sweetheart to stage-owning superstar. And as per normal when a beloved celebrity breaks away from their usual look, she broke the internet in the process.
Ariana debuted her new look on Instagram — but you’ll have to look closely.
According to Refinery29, the first chance fans who weren’t at the show had to check out her new ‘do was in a video posted to Instagram on June 5th. In the clip showing part of the show, Ariana wears a gorgeous pink gown complete with puffy sleeves to make a Disney Princess jealous, and her hair is flowing straight down her back, topped with a sparkly headband.
It’s hard to make out the full effect, but thankfully, fans on Twitter have released their own videos showing her new style.
Some lucky fans got to meet Ariana and her new hair in person at the pre-show meet and greet.
ariana with her hair down ... a moment most pleasing to me! pic.twitter.com/urknP4aV6G
— enzo. 💋 (@alrightavenue) June 6, 2019
Judging by the response so far, we’d say it’s a hit.
Fans are asking for an encore.
I really want her to wear her hair down more often 💗 @ArianaGrande https://t.co/ziRq4M7mLp
— mel. POSITIONS ❀ (@starlightarix) June 6, 2019
They’re even specifying upcoming shows where they want to see Ariana wear her hair down!
They are not letting this go.
It’s not surprising, given that Ariana’s ponytail has reached icon status even outside her devoted fan base.
In September 2018, Ariana and her ponytail appeared in a sketch on Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show, which showed her hair as a fully sentient being that can do everything from sign autographs to catch criminals.
[fm_youtube url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6iFvGyae28"]But wait — this isn’t actually the first time we’ve seen Ariana parted from her ponytail. Insert record scratch. In February, Ariana reminded us that her natural hair is super curly with the most adorable throwback photo.
But if you’ve been following her career from the start, you already knew that!
Here’s Ariana at 15 in 2008, vising Planet Hollywood in New York City:
And you also know that the ponytail love started young.
Just four years later, Ariana was trying out a low ponytail (which looks much better than our teenage hair experiments):
By 2013, Ariana had the super high, super long ponytail down — well, up!
Although, she still likes to surprise us sometimes, as this look from the 2015 American Music Awards proves!
Given that the singer has admitted that her ponytail actually kinda hurts, her fans are thinking this change may be a welcome break.
I must’ve felt so good for @ArianaGrande to have her hair down last night
— kay 🤍 (@kaylinmarie8300) June 6, 2019
Could the hair-down look overthrow the high ponytail to become the next hair icon?
this hair should be new era icon !!! @ArianaGrande pic.twitter.com/jMFM5bZtWz
— bellissimamaciana (@bellissimamaci1) June 6, 2019
That would be a twist. Either way, Ariana looks grand, and we can’t wait to see the rest of her looks for her “Sweetener/Thank U, Next” tour.
