Beyonce formally debuts her new blonde bob at the V Festival: better than the pixie?

Some of you yelled at me for daring to suggest that Beyonce’s recent “pixie cut” might have just been another wig. But seriously, was it just another wig? These are photos of Beyonce at the V Festival in Chelmsford, England yesterday. She was the big headliner at the V Festival, and she made a formal debut of her latest hairstyle – a blonde bob. She was seen last week with the blonde bob too – you can see those photos here.

So, what happened? Was the pixie cut just some temporary stunt in between weaves? Or did Beyonce just play around with a pixie wig and this was always some version of her hair? Did she realize that by publicly coming out with a pixie cut, everybody drew comparisons to Miley Cyrus? Or is empowered, strong Beyonce just so empowered and like a strong woman that the blonde bob is the newest definition of strong, empowered womanity? Or did she simply have an immediate regret about her genuine haircut? I wonder about that – because the pixie cut didn’t suit her, especially with that terrible straw-blonde shade with the dark roots.

Maybe she just wanted hair to whip around for the V Festival? We’ll see. At least no one is trying to convince us that THIS is still Beyonce’s natural hair.

PS… Holy crotch-grab. Beyonce really IS Miley, right?

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet.

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121 Responses to “Beyonce formally debuts her new blonde bob at the V Festival: better than the pixie?”

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  1. Mandy says:

    I like the bob much better. Although I like a good bob on pretty much anyone. Also, enough with the crotch grabs! And she is imitating Miley who is imitating Rihanna.

    • Helena says:

      Actually all of them are imitating MJ.

    • RocketMerry says:

      I love this bob, I hated the pixie (it made her neck look thicker and her facial features less sweet: terrible cut!).

      Also, for the first time I LOVE one of her costumes: the blue jumpsuit is awesome! I’d like a less body-hugging, matte version of that for myself. Approved.

      And yes, the crotch-grab does no “empowering” at all. It’s just sad.

    • Alexandria says:

      And that bob is so Rihanna circa 2008-2009.

    • Jane says:

      I also like the hair cut, but the crotch thing is a cheap gimmick and old. Anybody still grabbing themselves while performing is just plain desperate to keep the audience’s attention. She should be above that stuff.

      • Samantha says:

        She actually does the croth grab while singing if “I were a boy”. Its not a sexual gesture.

    • Jen says:

      Please tell me the significance of the crotch grab. It looks disgusting especially coming from a woman. All these signers are all alike.

    • mabooski says:

      urm, no. MichaeL jackson did crotch grabs all the time, so do a lot of rappers. STOP TRYING TO MAKE MILEY MORE IMPORTANT THAN SHE IS.

  2. LahdidahBaby says:

    Coif superb. Crotch-grab lame. And FFS, keep yr tongue parked in its garage.

  3. Andrea says:

    I really wish the crotch grab would just die. It’s not sexually empowered nor does it prove some kind of sexual power.

    I’m so sick of women feeling like they have to go over the top and act risqué in order to prove they are “sexy” and in charge of their bodies. I’m so sick of “sexy” being defined under such narrow terms.

  4. Kaylah says:

    The crotch grab has been there since 2008, she does it during If I Were A Boy so if anything Miley is imitating her. See how stupid comparisons are? The pixie was her hair but it didn’t really suit her. The bob is much nicer. She just needs to make it a darker color.

  5. lisa says:

    that “pixie” made her look like an anchorman

    the crotch grab looks like she is checking for lumps, sad

    • Kassandra says:

      This bob is worse than the pixie. The color washes her out and the cut, imo, ages her alot [or shows her “true” age if you’re one of those people 😉 ] It reminds me of a haircut a woman much older than beyonce would get to try and be “hip” and “edgy.” Blonde only seems to work on her in long, huge, unbeweavable styles.

      • lisa says:

        i have to disagree. the short hair made her look like a man in drag. it was not flattering to her features and the hair itself looked like a ken doll.

      • HH says:

        That’s what I was just thinking. Unless she’s gone more blonde, the color only works on her long weaves.

        Also, I feel we can’t accurately judge the pixie cut. The pic was a weird angle, her makeup was too severe, and perhaps it was styling. There are a lot of pixie cuts that look better in diff styles. Then again, I just love pixie cuts and don’t like when people give up too soon.

  6. Leigh says:

    I love an asymmetrical bob and it looks really cute on her!

  7. Jo says:

    The pixie was a wig and so is this. Beyonce doesn’t relax her hair and trust me from experience, her hairstyle wouldn’t last 5 min. during a performance. I’m natural myself and my hair puffs up if I take a 10 min brisk walk. She will never wear her real out while she’s touring or performing. It would be too hard to maintain. Black women’s hair and sweat don’t mix.

    • GiGi says:

      This exactly. I used to work as a nightclub dancer and even with stick straight native american hair, I wore a wig. Because when looking good is your job and performance is involved, natural hair just does not hold up. I’d imagine any time you see her in public her real hair is braided up and she’s wearing a lace front.

    • Alexis says:

      Broad statements here. Aaliyah was natural. Kelly Rowland has been natural. Less famously, my sister and i both flat iron our natural hair straight. You can totally flat iron your hair and wear it for two weeks. Either you are not pressing it out right, or you do it so rarely that your hair becomes resistant to straightening. Tired of black women with bad hair experiences universalizing them, ESP since you can easily google contrary examples at this point.

      • LAK says:

        I think you missed the point of the posts entirely.

        Of course hair can be flat ironed and perfect for weeks on end per your experience, BUT do you also dance and SWEAT everyday (or several times a week) without having to redo because your flat ironed hair is still perfectly flat ironed afterwards for weeks on end??

        THAT’S the point the ladies were making.

      • Jo says:

        @Alexis Uhmm Even if Aaliyah was natural she wore weaves and she did not perform or tour nearly as much as Beyonce does. The same goes for Kelly she wears weaves and do not perform as much as Beyonce does. I am natural and have been for 4 years and NO flat iron will keep your hair silly straight from root to tip after performing at Beyonce’s level. Any black woman with length to her hair would be a fool not to where weave or a wig while on tour. The heat required to maintain the style would cause too much damage.

      • Meiko says:

        Alexis – everyone’s hair reacts differently. My grandmother used to flat comb (the electric one that was super heavy which you can’t get anymore) my hair and it lasted exactly 30 mins (no joke) before my hair got ‘frizzy’ ‘soft’. I’ve had professionals meet with the same problem and even chemical relaxers don’t work for longer than a week.

        I think the only time we have ever ‘seen’ Beyonce’s natural hair is when she has braids.

        I thought the pixie was a wig when I first saw it…

        While this Bob looks better – the quality of the hair (or maybe it’s the colour?) just looks so… trasy!

    • cs says:

      @Jo
      I disagree with you.. I believe the pixie was her real hair. You could tell by the edges.. She added the extensions or wig because of the hate on the internet for the style. As much as Beyoncé claims to be an independent/strong woman she’s just like JA.. they read what is being said on the internet and make changes or comment on what’s being said.
      Blue started wearing dresses/bows in her hair because people online was talking about how she dresses her daughter in boy’s clothes.
      I said from the beginning, that the pixie cut would only last a month. I didn’t think it would be for just a week..
      I kind of feel sorry for her, I really believe she’s headed for a nervous breakdown.
      She doesn’t know what to do.. She doesn’t sell CD’s like Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga and Adele.. She’s not gaining popularity like Rihanna and Miley. All these girls born in the late 80’s/90’s.
      She’s trying to be relevant, but her new music stinks and no one under 25 cares. She’s trying to emulate her sister’s style or Rihanna’s.. It doesn’t work because she neither has the body or attitude to carry it off.

      Beyoncé has a great body, but she doesn’t have the Afrocentric, hip-hop, generation Z body..

      • Jo says:

        You’re entitled to your opinion but I still believe it was a wig. Hairstyles can do amazing things with lacefronts I.e John Travolta. Between her vanity and her Feria contract, I doubt she chopped her hair off. Just my opinion.

      • Nubiahbella says:

        I was agreeing with you until the Miley Cyrus thing. Miley is not even on Rihanna’s level lol! She’s just the flavor of the year at best.

      • blaize says:

        Why do you think Beyoncé is headed for a breakdown? I haven’t seen or heard about her doing anything crazy, or heard of her being addicted to anything, having a mental illness, or experiencing any trauma.

      • MariA says:

        I totally agree with you. She is utterly insecure, it shows on how she tries to over control her image. And how she is trying so hard to be more relevant or stay in the news.
        Beyonce tried the “life-changing haircut effect” that Miley had -it was refreshing and fashionable for Miley, not saying she is a better artist. But for Bey it was a big flop. All that “empowering bs”, she might have had a nervous meltdown because people didn’t like it and the hair was gone!
        Now it looks like extensions on the short hair, because it has a strange volume in the roots.

  8. janie says:

    Who cares? I wish she would put on some clothes, she’s not 20 anymore. She needs some new dance moves & grabbing her crotch is disgusting.

  9. Ag says:

    The bob looks way better on her than the pixie. But I’m sure it’s fake, as is everything about this woman.

  10. Jennifer12 says:

    Straight blond hair is not her natural hair, I don’t think, no matter what length. But her features are too strong for the pixie cut; I think the bob suits her. The blond doesn’t, though.

  11. stay-cee says:

    Miley isn’t the first person to have that damn hair cut :p

    • RN says:

      No she’s not. I had it in 1982, well before she was born. Only I’m not famous, lol. It’s cute watching everyone pretend like short punk hair is something new. By the punk standards of the 70s, I was probably even late to the party.

  12. Mia says:

    That hair is very Victoria Beckham. Someone wore it first. And the crotch grabbing, leave it for MJ.

    • Hakura says:

      His legacy lives on… In moronic female pop artists that seem as confused as he was… 1 is white trying to be black, & the other black, trying to be white. (stylistically, at any rate).

      (- not that races have to act or dress a certain way of. Course. More said for the irony of the situation than anything xD

  13. dorothy says:

    No interest here whatsoever.

  14. shelley says:

    I see Beyonce not outgrowing being naked and fake blond hair. Not good.

  15. bns says:

    Beautiful as always.

    And LOL at people being annoyed by her grabbing her crotch. She’s just having a bit of fun onstage.

  16. Dirty Martini says:

    I’m thinking ….a bob works on her facial features better than a pixie, but that wig looks cheap.

  17. kim says:

    I don’t find her empowering. I find her to be an insecure person pretending to be this or that depending on what she’s selling, and to whom.

    • Anna Scott says:

      well said, Kim!

    • Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

      Goopy strikes me the same way.

    • Violet says:

      Yep, that pretty much sums up my point of view.

      As for her hair, my guess is that Beyonce has probably gone bald from all the stuff she’s put her hair through so all of these are just — unflattering, IMO — wigs.

      As for the crotch grabs — no, just no. It’s awkward and embarrassing and desperate.

    • blaize says:

      Meh. To me Beyoncé doesn’t seem particularly insecure for a woman in an industry where looks are almost everything, but I wouldn’t exactly call her empowering. I’ve always liked her fashion though.

      Britney Spears, on the other hand, is a pop star who strike me as someone who is insecure and just did what she had to do/was told to do in order to sell.

    • MariA says:

      Agree.

  18. anette fekete says:

    At first her pregnancy now her hair which you can’t be sure about.Famewhore.

    • genevieve says:

      Famewhore? That word applies more to people who are famous for being famous, don’t you think? Like the Paris Hiltons and Kim Kardashians and Courtney Stoddens of the world.

      But Beyonce has been working for over 16 years, putting out a lot of hits. She is in a business where profits and contracts depend on people knowing who she is, and attention-seeking and image-shaping is a natural part of her job, of maintaining a brand. And that brand is backed up by an actual talent and actual entertainment products.

      I’m not a fan of hers, partly because I pretty much only listen to classical, but calling her a famewhore seems rather harsh and inaccurate.

  19. Lucy2 says:

    I didn’t like the pixie, it was not flattering to her face, and she’s a pretty woman. The bob is much cuter.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Agree. Something about the pixie just didn’t work on her face. She looks much prettier with the bob.

  20. K-Rock says:

    Am I the only one that’s tired of looking at her thighs?

    • Viv says:

      AMEN. Thank you. All this money and a rich husband and she can’t buy pants.
      Olympic swimmers and gymnasts wear trousers more often than she does.

    • Meiko says:

      I’m tired of the thighs, crotch and fugly outfits!

  21. Emily C. says:

    I hate how she looks with blonde hair, period. This looks like straw.

  22. Melissa says:

    She’s one of the best performers I’ve seen live, but I have to say that I’m getting tired of her.

    Beyonce hold a certain fascination when she was private; you could just enjoy her shows and some interviews. But I think at some point she got tired of being so private and decided to opening up; which is fine in itself but she can’t find a balance. Now she’s severely overexposed.

    • cs says:

      Melissa, I believe it had to do with her father. Her father was a smart man, he kept her interviews minimal.
      Once she fired him and started opening her mouth, people could see how fake she is.
      I never forget how she defended Kanye’s actions with the Taylor Swift fiasco.

      “Kanye just recognizes/appreciates Art”.. I thought to myself.. Oh this girl is so full of herself. Taylor 19 at that time has much better songwriting skills than her elementary verses. “Single ladies, put a ring on it” and how creative is a video of her dancing the same steps she’s been doing for a decade, in a leotard with four background dancers.

      • blaize says:

        “Kanye is just someone who recognizes/appreciates art.”

        Wow, that’s a pretty delusional/overconfident thing of her to say. Beyoncé is only a slightly better artist than Taylor Swift. Beyoncé is a better dancer and a little bit better at singing than Taylor, but Taylor is a better songwriter (except for those problematic songs of hers that make me feel stabby!) and her music overall is just as ‘good’ as Beyoncé’s.

        Both of them are kind of overrated to me though.

  23. Fernanda says:

    😀 She is so fierce! I don’t know if I am the only one, but I just find her ridiculous, with all this posing and so called fierceness. And I think her natural hair might be actually always short, like that ‘new’ pixie cut. I mean if one wears so many wigs all the time, I guess it is just easier to keep the natural hair short. My 2 cents 🙂

  24. SailorSaturn says:

    And cameltoe must not be empowering because she looks like shes trying to pick it out.

  25. Lulu86 says:

    i hate it when one celebrity shoves evrything in our faces that we start saying they are being copied Miley has not invented ANYTHING absolutely nothing about her is new. Beyonce could not pull the pixie cut, her neck is just too prominent made her look like a shot putter and especially aged her.

  26. Tania says:

    Is it just me or is her skin getting progressively lighter?

    • Zara says:

      It’s not just you. I think she bleaches her skin.

      • truthSF says:

        It’s well known that she beaches her skin. And between that, altering her nose, and wearing blonde wigs, I don’t think there’s anything empowering about a black woman doing everything she can to look white. It’s really sad.

      • Becks says:

        I think so….maybe she does it so she can pull of blonde hair. Either way, the blonde does not look good on her. She needs to go darker.

      • Lulu86 says:

        Could it possibly shock horror* the huge spot light at her shows. At the end of the day Beyonce is black and we do get lighter and darker during colder and hotter months. When you see candid shots of her she seems the same skin tone that she has always been.

    • A says:

      lol no she doesn’t bleach. I feel like people don’t know what bleaching is and what it actually does to your skin. It doesn’t make it lighter so much as it makes it ashy and patchy looking. And it also thins out the skin and is dangerous.
      I doubt Beyonce, who is naturally lighter skinned (see childhood pics), would “bleach” her skin. It doesn’t work like that and bleaching doesn’t mean what you think it means when it comes to skin.
      Also, keep in mind different lighting and what the season is. Black people tan too and get darker during the summer.

      • Nubiahbella says:

        I agree and I actually believe she uses a lot of Bronzer to dark up (like Jlo and Mariah Carey) and she she’s less heavy handed people think she’s bleaching.

    • blaize says:

      I don’t believe that Beyoncé bleaches her skin- that’s a rumor that’s started about every light-skinned famous black woman. I googled a candid shot of her from when she was younger and compared it to a recent candid shot of her to see if the bleaching rumors were true, and her skin looks the same color. Her skin might sometimes appear lighter in photos where she’s in a very lit area or in magazine photoshoots, but in unlightened photos her skin looks darker. I do have an aunt who bleached her skin before though- and it’s very dry. (The family was NOT happy about it, but she does what she wants to do).

      That being said, it’s always been a little annoying to me how women of color are policed about what we do with our hair and eyes in a way that white women are not. I know you’re not trying to be offensive at all, but to me and to some other people that issue feels like more white privilege.

      • GByeGirl says:

        I agree that black women get a lot of flack about their grooming habits. Having natural vs. relaxed hair must be a political statement, skin tones have strangers or distant acquaintances asking about lineage/mother’s virtue etc.

        Non-white women in the US must deal with a lot of shit…but so do white women to a much lesser degree. I have short, straight hair and mega pale skin and nobody can shut up about it. My coworkers actually pooled their money and got me a tanning salon package for my birthday! So now, I get them toothpaste or deodorant for theirs…

        I think that people, particularly American men can’t get over the fact that our bodies are for ourselves and we don’t need to get their opinions before we do things with them. I think that they have an even bigger problem getting over what black women do with their bodies.

      • blaize says:

        @GByegirl: Yep. Not just black women- although I think they get this policing the most in this country, by both white people and other black people. Hispanic, Asian, and Indian women get it too.

  27. LaurieH says:

    I think the pixie cut was her natural hair after years of damaging hair extensions. I think the photos we saw were just candid shots she took after having the weave removed. I think she toyed with the idea of going “natural” (the empowerment thing), until she realized that the general consensus was that it was unflattering and aged her. The new bob and hair color is VERY flattering – gorgeous. It appears to be extensions, not a wig, and the shorter, sleeker cut was likely advice from her hair dresser who told her that her natural hair could no longer support the weight of long hair. That said, this look is extremely chic on her.

  28. Kiddo says:

    Looks like Beyonce might need to start eating some yogurt.

  29. Asdfg says:

    “Maybe she just wanted hair to whip around for the V Festival?”

    I’m thinking so. Most of her dance routines require her hair to be whipped in every direction. LOL. I would have loved to watch her perform with no wig! Priceless! 😆

    Hair whipping pics of Beyonce at the V festival:

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/08/17/article-2396299-1B585983000005DC-258_634x688.jpg

    http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2013/08/18/article-2396299-1B588C7B000005DC-536_634x598.jpg

    “PS… Holy crotch-grab. Beyonce really IS Miley, right?”

    Let’s not forget about Rihanna. 🙄

  30. MP says:

    You can not say Beyonce is Miley. No. Never.

  31. Bex says:

    She looks great. I’m a little sad since I had a cut slated this week and was intending to do a slightly longer version of this hair and now it will seem copycat. I’m hoping it is a one time look, lol!

  32. Mitch Buchanan Rocks! says:

    Agh that’s where my mop head ended up.

  33. Bijlee says:

    Love the bob. She looks great in it!

  34. Moana says:

    You asked, so I answer.
    Could.not.care.less about anything Queen Illuminati does. She has her head so far up her own ass, it must be a weave factory. She and the King are dangerous people.

  35. homegrrl says:

    punk rock isn’t for everyone. why this trend? it doesn’t suit bey or miley. siouxie sioux, wendy o, chrissy hynde, those women did punk/edgy in an authentic way.

    I don’t know why it grates on me to see punk so commercialized and cheesy. Is nothing sacred??!!

    • Elle Kaye says:

      GI’s in WWII wore mohawks to intimidate the enemy, so not even punk has the corner market on the spiked hairstyle. No hairstyle is really new, it is just a variation of something that came before. The same goes for music. There is nothing new or fresh, just recycled, and I don’t see either of these two women claiming that they invented their styles. It is only the media and public that make the comparisons.

  36. Denise says:

    You know someone’s out of tricks when they think they’re being edgy by pawing at their crotch and sporting a …… bob. Shocking, that.

  37. diva says:

    I understand why she’s been wearing the long hair for so long now. Shorter cuts don’t work for her

  38. A says:

    The pixie cut was her real hair that she has bleached and straightened. She added extensions/weave to it and this is the result.
    She’s not bald you guys…you need some hair to attach the extensions/weave on your head and leave some of your natural hair at the roots and edges to make it look natural. Yes there are lace fronts but it doesn’t look like she’ had that. Lace fronts can damage your hairline and make you permanently bald around there.

  39. VV says:

    I got this cut a few months back. I used to have long hair as well but my hair is thick and heavy, not fun for humid summers.

  40. Yep says:

    I think the pixie cut was a wig now because here’s a shot of the back of her head:https://securecdn.disqus.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/588/116/original.jpg
    We never saw the back of it when she posted pics, not surprising, since most do side shots (at least those I know). I do know people questioned why she was covering it up with the back of her hands, and this may be why.

  41. Eleonor says:

    I don’t understand why she wants to be blonde. BTW this wig ehm haircut is really good.

  42. Bird says:

    I absolutely hate her weird jerky ‘dancing’. Am I supposed to be impressed by it?

  43. Digital Eve says:

    She did cut her hair, thought it would turn into a “thing”, and then regretted it after Jay Z and the rest of the world clowned her about it.

    So she’s back to long-ish.

  44. Lark says:

    I can not believe you compared Bey to Miley. Ugh. I really like the bob actually, but girl needs to stop dying her hair.

  45. d says:

    I will never understand why blond hair fried straight is supposed to be attractive. I hate that fried straight hair look. In any colour actually, but it looks worse on blonde. The bob looks okay, but I’m kinda thinking a wig would be hot for the kind of workout she does (long hair or bob)? Maybe the pixie was her natural hair but realized it didn’t suit her. So back to wig/extensions? She’s a performer though, so I don’t blame her for going with something other than her natural hair, just for general upkeep purposes. But then, apparently extensions are bad for your hair anyway. She’s between a rock and hard place…getting older, hair thinning maybe, trying to update her look/style, and compete with other singers (but not look like you’re competing). I think she needs to go away for a while imo, raise her kids, grow out her hair, go with her natural colour, and just be a NATURAL woman, instead of this “empowered” crap we hear about all the time from everyone. She needs a new niche to fill imo, and au natural might be the way to go.

  46. newtsgal says:

    A wig is a wig, is a wig…is a wig!
    And ol’ girl shouldn’t be crotch grabbin’ it draws the eye to that serious camel toe….Gross!!!

  47. Rudy says:

    Beyonce has a series of standard poses, expressions and clothing. It is all recycled over and over and over.

  48. AustinMJ says:

    Man! Her hair grows fast.

  49. blaize says:

    It’s always been a little annoying to me how female performers get WAAAY more flack for ‘dirty’ dance moves like crotch-grabbing, butt-shaking, grinding, etc. than men do for crotch-grabbing, thrusting, pole-dancing, etc.

    Either we as a society should freak out about both sexes doing suggestive dance-moves, or we should just stop allowing dance moves to upset us to begin with.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      If it’s any comfort, I find it just as stupid looking when men grab their crotches as when women do it.

    • Kiddo says:

      She looks ridiculous, seriously. She looks more put off than sexy. That’s why I assume with her expression and hand position, as they say on the TeeVee, she has that “embarrassing feminine itch”. I will add that MJ looked silly doing it too. Especially accompanied by the high pitch “Hee”.

  50. Fabgrrl says:

    The crotch grab makes her look like my three year old, insisting she doesn’t have to go to the potty.

  51. Aud says:

    Another wig?
    Not that there is anything wrong with it, but it’s not natural hair, so in other words, so what?
    I can appreciate the merits of wigs though. Most performers wear them, for obvious reasons. The wear and tear on natural hair would be a nightmare.

  52. anne says:

    nice wig

  53. Teeny says:

    I thought the short cut was terrible (it didn’t positively accentuate her features) as well as this bob and I think both styles appear to be wigs, but the bob looks especially terrible. Whoever styled it should think about cutting/styling it again as it just looks off. Just my opinion..

  54. serena says:

    I prefer her like that, the pixie cut was really awful on her.

  55. Mayda says:

    Love the Bob!!! way better than a super long weave on her I think!

  56. Laura says:

    I was there on the Saturday.. To be fair she looked awesome. and very skinny. She was nearly half an hour late so the set was caught short so she was boo’d a bit. I just wish the hair was a more natural colour as her face looked incredible almost in spite of the hair not flattered by the colour if that makes sense. A nice golden brown colour would look amazing.

  57. JuJuJen says:

    she looks tired. and why is she grabbing her crotch??

  58. Fran says:

    In that first pic of her in the green outfit she reminded me of Kate Gosselin LOL! Don’t think that’s the look she was aiming for.