The Evolution Of Janelle Monae's Hair

In an interview with Harvard Business Review, Janelle Monáe opened up about feeling silenced when she was first starting out in the entertainment industry, and how those experiences shaped her. "Early in my career I would show up at a photo shoot, and stylists would say, 'Hey, you're in this tuxedo, and you're wearing your hair natural. It's a bit avant-garde. How can we sell that? Perhaps you should look like this,'" she reminisced.

Now, her voice shines loud and clear in the stylistic choices she makes and her endless celebration of her hair. Forever a hair chameleon, Monáe waved goodbye to her dark locks and embraced a fiery new cut. In a September 2020 Instagram post, she debuted a coppery red mohawk with her defined curls on full display. She captioned it with a simple fox emoji, and let her edgy hairdo speak for itself. 

Fans blew up her comments section with praises for the drastically different, but still sexy look. Monáe posted more shots of her curly haired mohawk, and the new angle showed off a surprise braided rat tail. Fans lost it again and many claimed it as her best look. One fan felt inspired by the full power of her '80s throwback haircut, writing, "What in the Black girl magic have you done?!" 

We're glad the triple threat never let anyone define her voice.