Big news in the world of hair gathering this week: Ariana Grande has lowered her ponytail.
The plunging, new look came as the 24-year-old debuted latest single, No Tears Left To Cry, on Thursday evening. The platinum blonde coiffure marks a stark contrast to the higher-placed style we have grown accustomed to in recent years.
As is to be expected, fans are shook. “Sis came back with a low ponytail. she did NOT come to play games this era!” wrote @rxmansblood on Twitter. “Trying to focus today, but I can’t stop obsessing over Ariana Grande’s low ponytail,” commented @Skletch. “How can ariana look so good with a low ponytail whereas i look like an actual egg cba,” observed @grandestroian (an investigation, readers, we will save for another week).
But what, exactly, is Ariana trying to tell us?
For much of the last century, ponytails were generally considered a style appropriate only for young girls. In fact, it wasn’t until Sandra Dee, in her role as Gidget in the 1959 film of the same name, that the tied-back look became a viable option for adult women at all. Until this point, women’s hair would flap around uncontrollably, perpetually in their eyes — much like Claudia Winkleman’s is today.
According to Cosmopolitan, “Since there are many versions of the high pony, how you wear it is what’s most telling about yourself”. They conclude that, in general, the “style is great at exuding a carefree vibe”. The low ponytail, by contrast, “says sophisticated and elegant. Much like the events that one would wear this ponytail to, the women who sport it tend to be sophisticated and matter-of-fact.”
What Ariana appears to be signalling then, is the start of a new, more mature era. While many have speculated the change may be born, in part, out of the horrific attack at her concert in Manchester last May, others believe it could be part of a dramatic musical shift — one so major, it could only be outdone by no ponytail at all.
As @blairstetler put it on Twitter, “If Ariana Grande can smoothly and beautifully transition from her iconic high ponytail to a nice low pony, I can be great. I know that I can be.”
Then again, maybe her head just needed a break. Who are we to say.
Get more of this in your inbox! Sign up to our newsletter here.