Fine, fresh, fierce, I've got it unlocked, with Katy Perry's iconic hairstyles. Perry is one pop princess who is not afraid to shake things up and experiment with new hairstyles. In the past, she has rocked long locks, short bobs, vintage styles, and every color of the rainbow. Her experimentation with color has meant that Perry has sometimes even been likened to My Little Pony (which IMO is a huge honor) and she can often be seen rocking multiple hairstyles in a single music video.
I have followed Katy Perry's music career with teen fangirl eyes since the days of "I Kissed a Girl" up to "Roar." But stylistically speaking, I prefer her "Teenage Dream" album over the others. There was just something about her Candyfornia queen's sweet style, incredible geek chic, and the innuendo laden song "Peacock." It's an album full of fun, nostalgia, and whimsy; three things I adore.
Thus, I decided to embark on a challenge to attempt to recreate Katy Perry's most memorable music video hairstyles; bearing in mind I am not a qualified hairdresser or hairstylist. I wanted to see how achievable and wearable these styles were in real life — if in fact I could pull them off to begin with! Hopefully I'll look more like a California Gurl and less like E.T. Here goes!
Before
As you can see, this is my natural hair; it is naturally straight and I'll let you in on a little secret: It's dyed blonde. This is what it looks like after I have washed and blow dried it. My hair is obviously quite different to Perry's, although she is quite the hair chameleon. Her hair is "normally" naturally dark, she has bangs, and it's not usually quite as long as mine, often ranging from shoulder to long length. I was in for quite the challenge!
1. The Geek Chic Look
This look is taken from Ms. Perry's music video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)," which is such a happy, summery song that makes you yearn for Friday. In this video, Perry has a She's All That style makeover and ditches the geek chic look for a bad girl Sandy look. This is KP's "before" look complete with a chunky braid, hair slide, and Harry Potter bandaid glasses.
Here's my version. I didn't have a barrette style hair slide so I used a Hawaiian inspired flower one instead, which I think adds to the summer party feel. I donned my specs and pulled my best "Kathy Beth" face et voilà!
Verdict: I think this style is OK but there's a bit too much going on; there are Hawaiian party vibes, geek chic, and a sprinkling of librarian all in the mix. I am not too sure if I like the finished product.
2. The High Sky Ponytail
In the controversial "This Is How We Do" music video, Perry is seen sporting a huge selection of hairstyles. One of my favorites is this insanely '90s ponytail that reminds me of Sporty Spice. I love how Ms. Perry's dip dyed ends match the pastel colored outfits and her pink scrunchie; it's almost like a Marie Antoinette modern remake movie still. I imagine Perry would cry, "Let them eat ice lollies!"
I really liked this slicked back, easy ponytail. I just love having my hair off my face because sometimes having this much hair drives you insane and you kinda' feel like doing a Britney and shaving it all off. I didn't have a cute, pink scrunchie in my collection (my non-existent scrunchie collection), so I swapped it for a sweet, pink, polka dot bow as I thought this would ramp up the cute factor.
Verdict: I love this style! It's easy to complete, looks neat, and is fuss free. I especially love the ribbon (sorry Katy) as it has some very strong Sandy vibes going on. What is it with Katy Perry and Sandy from Grease? Maybe she's her secret style icon.
3. The "California Gurls" Hair Heart
I knew from the off this was going to be a challenge, but I didn't realize how large a challenge it would actually be. I admit, for this look I had a peek on YouTube to see if anyone could offer me any advice or tips. I found a really good tutorial but IMO it was a bit of a cheat because the maker used hair extensions and an actual heart ornament, whereas I wanted to just use my own hair.
This utter catastrophe ensued. It doesn't even look like a heart. You see, this is what happens when you try to create a heart hair headband out of real hair.
Verdict: There are no words.
4. The Vintage Witch
I really like this look as seen in the "Wide Awake" video. It's like a pinup girl has turned to the dark side and become one of the Sanderson Sisters and I love it! Also just a little aside, don't you think that the maze at the start is like a stone version of the one in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire? It makes me want to watch The Maze Runner so bad. Plus the video also has a unicorn in it and major The Secret Garden vibes, which IMO fast tracks it into the realm of awesome music videos.
To achieve the luscious curls, I had to put heated rollers in my hair first.
Once curled, I took two sections of my hair from the front and twisted them back, securing them at the back of my head with blonde colored bobby pins.
Verdict: I really liked this look as I think it straddled the border of classic vintage yet youthful modern styles. I think it would be an awesome hairstyle for a wedding.
5. The Jilted Bride
It's quite tricky to see the details of what's going on with Perry's barnet in this style from "Hot N Cold" because her hair is so shiny and dark. I interpreted this style as part up and part down, obviously with curls. However, my lack of bangs could let this look down as Perry has used her bangs to frame her face in this 'do.
I scraped back the top half of my hair and secured it at the back with a hair tie. Unfortunately, I didn't have a wedding veil to hand so if you could just imagine Perry without one, that would be swell.
Verdict: As previously mentioned, I do think my lack of bangs lets the side down on this look. That being said, I think it is a cutely feminine look, which would be perfect for a summer garden party while wearing a fancy frock.
Now you too can channel Katy Perry's fabulous hair!
Images: Phoebe Waller; KatyPerryVEVO, emimusic, CapitolMusic/YouTube; Giphy
