5 Times Ariana Grande Elevated The Humble Ponytail To New Heights

A lot of pop stars have a signature look. In the case of singer and actress Ariana Grande, it's the ponytail. For most, tying hair back is a practical afterthought — an everyday way to sweep it off the face. But in Ariana's hands, the ponytail has become something far more intricate and powerful.

The now-defining style has carried the singing sensation through eras, tours, and reinventions, and it's evolved alongside her ever-growing success. In fact, Ariana's hair transformation has often mirrored her artistic metamorphosis. 

From its soft, girlish origins during her early career, to its later, high-fashion iterations, Ariana's ponytail has proven to be anything but ordinary. Though it may be easier to achieve at home than any other look, this humble hair staple can offer a lot of fun and versatility. Ariana has given us plenty of inspiration over the years to see this simple style as something more exciting.

Ariana Grande needed a signature hairstyle to call her own as she moved away from the red hair of her Nickelodeon character, Cat Valentine. Thus began the half-up, half-down ponytail: a soft, feminine accompaniment to the launch of her debut album, "Yours Truly." Lower than her later high ponytails, the 'do let her caramel curls spill in loose, wide waves. This was a hairstyle still in its adolescence, channeling a girl-next-door sweetness that spoke perfectly to her budding pop persona at the time.

By her "Dangerous Woman" days, Ariana Grande had streamlined her ponytail to match her maturing image. The ultra-sleek, extra-long style grazed past her waist, and every strand at the scalp was scraped into a glossy, immovable finish. After all, this was 2016. Full glam had dominated the zeitgeist, and Ariana was at its forefront.

Ariana Grande's archetypal ponytail at the 2020 Grammy Awards felt engineered. It was slicked impossibly tight at the crown to sculpt her face, while her ends were wrapped expertly to disguise the band. The ash-blonde ombré color caught the light like liquid silk, while the curls at the end looked suspended. Coupled with the billowing folds of her tulle gown, it became an interesting counterweight: soft against sharp, deserving an award of its own. 

When her sixth album, "Positions," arrived, Ariana Grande knew her tresses had become a focal point of her superstardom. So much so that she dedicated an entire track to it, entitled "My Hair." For the LP's visuals, she turned to the 1960s, reimagining the ponytail with mod-era sophistication. This didn't have the tension of ponytails past. Instead, it descended, sitting lower on her head with voluminous ease, sculpted into a beehive-inspired silhouette. A thick headband crowned the look, deliberate in its reference to the likes of Brigitte Bardot.

Ariana Grande staged a glittering homage to "Showgirls" on Halloween in 2023, slipping into the role of Nomi Malone with all the camp and sparkle the cult classic deserves. The ponytail, of course, had to follow suit. This time, it skimmed her shoulders and flipped at the ends like a Vegas performer's wink. Gold glitter was applied in careful rows across her scalp. It was a great look, and we can only hope there are even more creative ponytails to come.