Country music superstar Reba McEntire has had quite a stunning transformation over the course of her celebrated, decades-long career — complete with more than her fair share of bold hairstyles. In fact, arguably the most recognizable aspect of McEntire’s image is her fiery red locks. But if you’ve ever wondered what the “Young Sheldon” alum would look like with a different hair color, you don’t have to use your imagination (or even Photoshop, for that matter). All you have to do is take a look at this throwback pic from the mid-1980s.
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The above photo was taken at the 1986 Country Music Association Awards. With her poofy, almost-blonde locks, McEntire looks almost unrecognizable. Nevertheless, the glitzy event was certainly memorable for the beloved country singer regardless. It was that night she took home the honors for both “Entertainer of the Year” and “Female Vocalist of the Year,” beating out the likes of Willie Nelson for the former and Rosanne Cash for the latter.
Impressively, McEntire was up for a total of five awards on the night. Her 10th studio album “Whoever’s in New England” was nominated for Album of the Year, while its title track was up for both Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year. The 1986 CMA Awards wasn’t the last time McEntire experimented with a blonder shade either. Her locks were positively golden (though not quite as spherical) on the cover of her self-titled 1988 record “Reba.”
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Reba McEntire hasn’t always had full control over her hairstyle
One interesting thing to note about Reba McEntire’s hair journey is that she wasn’t always in complete control of it. While speaking to People in 2024, the “Somebody” hitmaker recalled how, early on in her career, stylists would often try to impose their own vision of how she should look — until she finally pushed back. “It took me a while to gain that confidence to stand up to a professional stylist, hair and makeup person and say, ‘That’s not me. I don’t like that,'” McEntire shared. “And they’d say, ‘Well, yeah, you just sit here and we’ll make sure you look just right.’ I said, ‘Well, make me look like me.'”
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However, the theme of the country star not having full autonomy over her hair persisted, albeit in a different way. Obviously, McEntire’s hair is an undeniable part of her brand. As a result, when the “Fancy” singer decided to chop her locks in the 1990s, she couldn’t even book a salon appointment without clearing it with several different people first. “It was in ’96 or ’97 when I cut my hair off, and it was freeing,” McEntire proudly told Glamour in 2024. “But you know what? I had to talk to my management and my stylist who did my hair, because it took almost a year for me to talk them into letting me cut my hair.”
