Ariana Grande’s high ponytail is one of the most iconic styles among pop stars. Ethan Miller/Getty Images Pop star Ariana Grande is rarely…
Ariana Grande’s high ponytail is one of the most iconic styles among pop stars. Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Pop star Ariana Grande is rarely seen without her signature high ponytail trailing down her back. On the rare occasions when she ditches the style she’s almost unrecognizable. According to the star, the now-iconic ponytail started as a comfortable style she could wear with her bleach-damaged hair.
From 2010 to 2013, Grande played Cat Valentine on Nickelodeon’s series «Victorious.» The character had red hair, which meant Grande was dyeing her hair frequently. In 2014, Grande began wearing the high ponytail as her music career was taking off.
She addressed fans who might have been annoyed by the repetitive look on Facebook, explaining why she was sticking with the ponytail for now.
«I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down,» Grande said. «It’s all that works for now (AND I’m comfortable for the first time in years).»
Ariana Grande in 2010 with her red dyed hair, and Grande in 2014 with her high ponytail. Michael Buckner/Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images
Here’s how she explained it in her full Facebook post:
«Since people give me such a hard time about my hair I thought I’d take the time to explain the whole situation to everybody. I had to bleach my hair and dye it red every other week for the first 4 years of playing Cat… as one would assume, that completely destroyed my hair. I now wear a wig on Sam & Cat.
My real hair is back to brown and I wear extensions but I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down. I tried wigs, they looked RIDICULOUS. Tried a weave because I am working on a new project and want to try some different looks and literally wanted to rip my scalp off. So as annoying as it is for y’all to have to look at the same hair style all the time, it’s all that works for now (AND I’m comfortable for the first time in years)…. And trust me, it’s even more difficult for me to have to wait forever for my natural hair to grow back and to have to wear more fake hair than every drag queen on earth combined. So PLEASE gimme a break about the hair (or just don’t look at me lol). IT’S JUST HAIR AFTER ALL. There are way more important things. Love y’all very much.»
By 2016, she was sticking with the ponytail and told Byrdie the look brought her endless joy and that it was just how she had always liked her hair.
«I had no idea that it was going to become, like, a thing,» Grande said. «It’s how I like my hair. It’s how I’ve always liked my hair […] It brings me so much joy, honestly. Every time I put my hair up, it’s like a surprise. Like, I forget how much I love it, and then I tie it back and I’m like, ‘I love this look! Ooh, girl!’ Every time I tie it up is like the first time. It’s like true love.»
Ariana Grande arrives at the American Music Awards at the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Nov. 20,2016, in Los Angeles.
Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Ahead of the release of her 2018 single «No Tears Left to Cry,» Grande talked with Fader about the ponytail and spoke in the third person.
«The pony has also gone through an evolution, and I’m proud of that. Old pony? I don’t know if she’s that girl. But new pony? I like her,» Grande said. «I mean, it’s like a Victoria Secret angel without angel wings. It’s still her without them, but when she’s with them it’s like, ‘Ohh, I get it, she’s an angel.'»
Even though Grande’s recent album press tour has involved moments when she opts for a lower ponytail, or even the surprising moment when she wore her hair down for a Vogue cover, the iconic style seems here to stay.
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