10 Times Lady Gaga’s Hair Was On Point (And 10 Times She Needed A Hairbrush)
Leah Mitchell Quick Links
What comes to mind when you hear Lady Gaga’s name? Some might think about her pop music or activism. But most people likely think about the singer’s ridiculous sense of fashion and beauty. The star has rocked a variety of questionable and just downright strange things to red carpet events (who can forget the meat dress?).
In recent years, Gaga has seemingly toned down her oddball fashion sense, though her style is still nowhere close to the norm. But instead of being a spectacle, Gaga has established herself as a trendsetter and icon in her own right. There’s a reason they call her Mother Monster.
With that being said, sometimes its fun to think about the time Gaga’s look wasn’t always on point. Check out these 10 times that Gaga’s hair definitely could have used a re-do, and 10 that we wish we could re-do on ourselves! Which style do you think is the best on her?
Needs A Brushing - Gaga Gone Gothic
There’s no telling what Gaga was thinking when she put on this semi-scary outfit. The pop star was totally channelling her inner Goth in this look. Gaga looked unrecognizable with thick black and white eyeliner lining her eyes. Her skin looked washed out against the dark, black lipstick and her Victorian-inspired clothing.
But the real tragedy of this look is Gaga’s eyebrow raising hairstyle. It looks like the star slept with a bunch of curlers in her hair to achieve this frumpy look. But instead of her locks looking bouncy and curl, they look stiff and sticky. Seriously, we wouldn’t be surprised to learn Gaga’s hairdresser had to use a whole bottle of hairspray to achieve this futuristic look. Luckily, this is one hairstyle we haven’t seen the singer rock since.
On Point - Our Lady, The Silver Fox
It’s tough pulling off unnatural hair colours. But that hasn’t stopped almost every millennial girl from jumping on this trend and dying her hair some bold shade of pink or blue. Gaga has rocked a variety of colourful hair over the years, but one of our favourite moments was when she stepped out with this blue and silver ‘do.
Knowing Gaga, this could very well be the work of a realistic looking wig. The celebrity already does a ton of damage to her hair given the amount of times she styles it and bleaches it in a month to keep up her signature look, so we doubt she dyed her whole head of hair just to rock this bold look for a couple of weeks.
But hey, maybe Gaga should think about taking the plunge, because we think this hair colour is smoking on her!
Needs A Brushing - Way Too Meaty
Remember that one time that Gaga showed up to the 2010 MTV VMAs in a meat dress?
The whole world thought the celeb couldn’t get any crazier until she showed up in an outfit completely crafted out of animal parts, including (what was probably a very smelly) headpiece made out of meat. Um, meat tends to go bad pretty quickly, especially when left uncooked. So we don’t want to think about how nasty Gaga must have smelled by the end of the night!
But the really horrible part of this look was the slab of meat stuck to Gaga’s head. Her silver-y hairdo could have been cute if it weren’t for her questionable accessory. If we were her, we would have gone home ASAP to wash the stench of raw meat out of her hair. Seriously Gaga, what were you thinking?!
On Point - Gaga All Grown Up
We’re glad to say that Gaga has refined her style since becoming the major pop star that she is. This gorgeous hairstyle is proof that the celeb is becoming more sophisticated- and less jaw dropping with the way she dresses.
To this red carpet event, Gaga decided to go for a chic up do. She had her bleach blonde locks pulled back into a sleek low ponytail. Her hairdresser wrapped her hair around the elastic band to make the look more formal, even adding some adorable red flowers that completely brought the look altogether.
It helps that Gaga’s makeup and gown is on-point in this outfit. She looks more like a music industry legend than the shock-value pop star we were first introduced to in 2009. All in all, we like Gaga’s more grown-up look!
Needs A Brushing - Fried And Dyed
Gaga decided to give fans a peak at her natural hair when she posted this relaxed selfie, but we kind of wish she hadn’t. The star has become famous for wearing tons of wigs and extensions to achieve her eccentric hairstyles, so it certainly has taken a toll on her real hair.
In this pic, Gaga’s hair looks extremely fried and damaged. The blue and orange tones do nothing to compliment her short style. If anything, it makes her hair look more disastrous than ever. The ends look like they’ve seen too many hot tools and bottles of product, meaning her hair was probably breakable and coarse when she shot this photo.
Celebrities know the importance of proper hair care so they can put their best foot forward on the red carpet. Hopefully Gaga gave her hair a break following this shot so she could get it back to its usual healthy self.
On Point - Pretty In Pink
Once again, Gaga proved that she might look better with rainbow hair than anything else! For a photoshoot a few years ago, the musician dawned this gorgeous pastel pink hair. She left her thick locks down and flowing in the futuristic photo, in which Gaga also rocked some faux pointed cheekbones and shoulders. Could this be the fashion of the future?
While we’re not sure if we’d want cheekbones that sharp, we could get on board with the pink hair do. This hairstyle is fun, flirty, and so on trend at the moment. Tons of ladies are taking the plunge and opting for a bold colour when it comes to their hair. Gaga has been doing this for years, proving that she’s a trendsetter and not a trend follower. You go, girl!
Needs A Brushing - Severely Slicked Back
No. Just no. Anytime someone says they’re planning on slicking back their hair, l you know it’s going to be a bad idea…and Gaga is no exception. The star looked like she barely had time to get ready during her performance at the Superbowl. Her look was already loud thanks to her sparkling red suit and matching eyeshadow. But Gaga’s hair took this look to a whole new (painful) extreme.
The star clearly put a lot of product in her hair to get it to stay like that. Yet, given how thick her hair is, it still looks like it is falling apart in certain places. Since Gaga was most likely going wild on stage during her performance, she needs a hairstyle that’s going to stay in place. And clearly this one did not make the cut. The lesson here to learn is that slicked back styles ALWAYS look bad.
On Point - Babe In Blue
Here she is again! Gaga is back at it with the unnatural hair colours, and we’re still in love with it. For a shot time, the singer was rocking bright, bold locks that may have been her best shade yet. We’re pretty sure Gaga opted for a wig rather than damaging her hair by trying to get it to this colour. But wig or not, Gaga looks drop dead gorgeous in this look.
The celeb added to her boss girl look by pairing some edgy shades along with bright red lipstick and a fake beauty mark on her cheek. Gaga has always marched to the beat of her own drum, especially when it comes to fashion and beauty, and we love her for it. If she wasn’t so zany, then we may never get iconic looks like this one! Keep doing you, Gaga.
Needs A Brushing - Calm Those Curls
Eek! It looks like Gaga left her curlers in a bit longer than necessary because the result left her looking like a strung-out poodle. For the red carpet event, the singer showed up in an androgynous-inspired outfit, consisting of dress pants, an edgy sequin blazer, and this retro hairstyle. We get that Gaga was trying to make a statement with her avant gard look, but it unfortunately missed the mark.
Had Gaga’s curls been a little tamer, this look may have worked. After all, it’s hard to go wrong with a good curly hairstyle. But this ‘do makes it look like Gaga had to run all the way to the venue because she missed her ride… not cute! It also doesn’t help that her minimal makeup seems to be washing her out, while her unimpressed glare makes us thinks she hates this ‘do just as much as us.
On Point - Gaga The Ginger
Gaga took a page out of Lana Del Rey’s book when she stepped out in this romantic hairstyle, which seems inspired by her fellow pop star. We never imagined that Gaga would look good in anything other than blonde, but perhaps this style is a sign the singer should go ginger for good. Is there any colour she can’t pull off?!
The strawberry blonde colour of Gaga’s locks looked amazing against her skin tone. The voluminous bouffant on top gave this hairstyle a vintage feel, while the loose Mermaid waves kept it fashion-forward. We love that Gaga kept the rest of her look simple with a black dress and gold accessories, so her gorgeous hair could do the talking. We wouldn’t mind if Gaga kept this cut and colour all year long!
Needs A Brushing - She's Gone Gaga
There’s no denying that Gaga had gone, well, gaga when she stepped out in this disastrous look. Her bleach blonde, overly teased hair looked like something a trailer park resident would wear, not a high-profile celebrity. Gaga’s bad dye job made her look washed out and tacky, while the overkill of volume made this look comical not cute.
The rest of Gaga’s overdone outfit didn’t help this look. She went too over-the-top with her bright red lips, bold brows, and sparkly jewellery. Her metallic, heavily detailed dress didn’t do anything to take this frantic look down a notch. We know that Gaga puts a lot of time and effort into making her looks perfect. But if we didn’t know better we’d say she threw this look together in 5 minutes (which definitely isn’t a good thing).
On Point - Pony It Up
Gaga rarely wears her hair up, but maybe this is a sign she should more often! The celebrity looked effortlessly gorgeous when she showed up to New York fashion week in this bold statement. Though Gaga went all-out with her makeup (we’re not sure those pink rhinestones are her best look!), she kept her hair simple, which worked in her favour.
Gaga’s semi-messy ponytail gave her a relaxed and edgy vibe. This contrasted with her bold outfit, which included a sequinned dress, chunky accessories, and bold makeup. But that’s why this look worked. Sometimes Gaga is known for overdoing it and having her entire look seem gaudy. But by opting for a simple ‘do, it meant her hairstyle was competing with the ret of her look for attention, which is often a better route to go.
Needs A Brushing - Hair Gone Wild
Gaga looked like a hot mess when this unflattering photo was snapped mid-performance. The singer’s hair was everywhere, literally. As she thrashed her head back and forth on stage, it totally ruined whatever hairstyle Gaga had been rocking earlier in the night. It’s also easy to see that her ‘do is pretty sweaty at this point, which makes us just want to shove Gaga straight into the shower.
As a performer, you’re going to want a hairstyle that will withstand the entire night, so you won’t find any cringey photos of yourself on the internet the next day. Maybe Gaga should have opted for a style with a bit more staying power. Then again, when you’re performing for a crowd of thousands, worrying about a hair being out of place might be the last thing on your mind. And, if we were seeing Gaga perform in person, her hair would be the last thing we’d be focusing on.
On Point - Curls That Slay
We’ve seen moments were Gaga has totally failed at rocking a curly ‘do. But this time certainly wasn’t one of them! The singer showed up to the AMAs last year in this stunning look that made everyone do a double take.
Instead of opting for an outfit with shock-value, the singer instead decided to show off her sexy side. Gaga’s tight black min dress showed off her impressive frame (and cleavage). The simple outfit showed off her collection of tattoos perfectly. And it also brought attention to her face, which was framed by her head of tight ringlets.
It’s easy to ruin a curly look like this, but luckily Gaga’s locks slayed all night. This has got us thinking about how gorgeous Gaga would be if she had a perm all the time. Maybe that should be her next hair move!
Needs A Brushing - Under The Sea
Yikes. That’s about all we have to say. There’s honestly not much you can mess up when it comes to rocking a mermaid outfit on Halloween. Seriously, when have you seen an ugly mermaid costume? But Gaga tried her luck at rocking the cringiest under-the-sea themed look.
We have no idea how she chose the puke-green colour of her wig, but it doesn’t scream The Little Mermaid to us. Still, it could have been saved had it not been for the fact that it looks like no one has ever brushed through this wig. For all we know, Gaga was hiking in an overgrown forest before this pic was taken.
Best the best (or worst?) thing about this fail of a hairstyle was Gaga’s seashell crown. The singer wore a headpiece that was almost as big as her massive hair, filled with a random assortment of flowers and seashells. We honestly have no words.
On Point - Vintage Vibes
Gaga is coming for The Great Gatsby! Earlier in her career, the pop star could be seen sporting a cute little fringe like this. The 1920s vibe perfectly framed Gaga’s long face and nose, while the bleach blonde colour gives it a modern feel.
It also helps that the star’s makeup was so on point in this look, all the way from her flirty false lashes to her bold lipstick. Nothing eccentric about this look; Gaga was all glam.
Nowadays, Gaga seems to be sticking to long locks, but we seriously think she might need to give the bob a comeback. The singer looks like a totally different person with a short ‘do, and it could be fun to see her switch things up. Do you think Gaga should make the cut?
Needs A Brushing - Volume Overkill
We have no idea how Gaga or her beauty team could let her leave the house wit this ‘do! Her hair looked like it had been through A LOT when she stepped out in this overly voluminous look. Seriously, this wild hairstyle probably added a couple inches to Gaga’s frame.
Though the colour of this do is pretty, whoever styled it must have been wearing a blindfold because this looks ridiculous (and not in the typically eccentric Gaga way). Honestly, we’re hoping this hairstyle is a wig because we can’t imagine how painful it would be to brush through it at the end of the day.
The beauty likes to make it seem like you can never have enough volume, but Gaga just proved them wrong. This is one look that never should have seen the light of day.
On Point - Fringed And Flirty
Doesn’t Gaga look unrecognizable in this get-up? We’re so used to seeing Gaga in crazy outfits, with ridiculous amounts of makeup and loud wigs, that this photo comes as a bit of a surprise to us. The pop star was rocking a more everyday style in this photo, and we’re obsessed with it.
The singer styled her blonde locks in a tousled ‘do complete with a fresh fringe, which expertly framed her face. We can’t get over how perfect Gaga’s makeup looks, from her effortless winged eyeliner to her bold brows to her porcelain skin. Gaga looks like an extra out of Grease or a blonde version of Joan Jett, both of which mean good things. Maybe Gaga should rock a leather jacket more often!
Needs A Brushing - Clowning Around
Gaga wore this bold outfit to the 2016 Grammy’s as a tribute to David Bowie, who had passed away earlier that year. We love that the singer chose to pay homage to the legendary pop star in her look, but we wish she would have opted for a different hairstyle. Her look seemed more clown-inspired, than David Bowie-inspired. We doubt this shade of orange looks good on anyone, even on Bowie himself!
To complete her eccentric look, Gaga rocked a bright orange wig that was slicked back and teased. She matched her bright blue eyeshadow to her shiny bodysuit, sequins and all. We want to know how long it took to get Gaga this glam! Unfortunately, this look just wasn’t very flattering on Gaga, which is why it made the list. Sorry, not sorry!
On Point - Mermaid Hair, Don't Care
When Gaga first broke out on the scene, she stayed relevant by rocking a ton of wacky hairstyles and outfits to awards shows and appearances. It seemed like every week the pop star was playing a new character, and she often look unrecognizable in her loud get-ups. But in recent years, Gaga has toned things down, starting with her hair.
Nowadays, the celeb often leaves her long blonde locks as they are. She’s often pictured with her hair styled down, like in this pic when she stepped out with some seriously enviable Mermaid hair. We’re guessing that extensions and a talented hairstylist are to thank for Gaga’s gorgeous tresses. It seems like the starlet really knows what works for her in terms of her hairstyle nowadays. And we love it!
