Reba McEntire Looks So Different Without Her Iconic Red Hair

Reba McEntire's vibrant red hair is easily her most recognizable feature, and now we know what she'd look like without it! 

Although McEntire's hair transformation has certainly ventured into unflattering territory a time or two, overall, her hair has become a beloved staple of her image within the country music landscape. McEntire even teamed up with fellow country singer Caylee Hammack to sing on 2020's "Redhead," which is probably the unofficial redhead anthem. The song, which is about the fiery spirit that all redheads seem to possess, was apparently a positive collaboration for McEntire, too. "Thanks Caylee Hammack for asking me to sing on #Redhead!!!" she posted to Facebook in June of that year. 

In November 2024, McEntire  — who has been caught out wearing red wigs on occasion (although she is a natural ginger) — took to Instagram to celebrate her glorious auburn mane in honor of a very special holiday: National Redhead Day. "Long or short, either way I love being a redhead! #NationalRedheadDay," she wrote in the post's caption. Naturally, Hammack also circled back around to their iconic collaboration in the comment section. "I love this song as much as I love you, so cool to have a song with the Queen of Redheads out there in the world," she wrote.

Basically? It's impossible to think of redheads without thinking about McEntire, who has never experimented with other hair colors. However, Static Media's photo editor has helped Nicki Swift envision what McEntire would look like if she ever tried out a new look.

We know and appreciate Reba McEntire as a redhead, but we'd be lying if we said that she couldn't totally get away with being a brunette for a day or two (or three). Although brown-haired McEntire is a totally different vibe than red-haired McEntire, this dark, smoky shade of brown definitely complements the country's singer's natural features — including her heart-shaped face and blue eyes, which sometimes get a little overwhelmed by her red mane. Whether or not Reba's brown hair would work on stage, that's another thing.

You see, McEntire's look has revolved around her red hair for decades, and she even had to get permission to chop off her long, curly locks during the mid-'90s. "My hair was so big back in those days that my fans could recognize me just from my silhouette," she shared in "Not That Fancy," her memoir (via NBC). Eventually, she cut her hair, but she couldn't wear it out until her marketing team figured out how to not alienate her fanbase amid her then-new album release for 1996's "What If It's You?" "I had actually cut my hair off in June, but the album didn't release until November, so I had to wear a wig until we were ready to reveal the new look," continued McEntire. "I finally debuted my short hair at the Country Music Association (CMA) Awards show, and it felt so good!"

A cut is one thing, but a color change? There'd be riots.

Reba McEntire's beauty is obviously versatile, but seeing her as a blond bombshell is more than a little jarring at first glance. Unlike the red hair, blond hair on McEntire doesn't exactly scream country goddess. That isn't to say that it couldn't work for her, of course. Her red hair may be her most famous feature, but she's definitely beautiful with or without it. In this particular case, it seems that McEntire could fully embrace that blond life if she'd reach for different makeup and wardrobe options, a switch-up that would inject a little harmony into this show-stopping look. Speaking of makeup, specifically, she'd probably do well to choose a softer palette the day she tries out blond hair.

Interestingly enough, McEntire has already proven how makeup, hair, and wardrobe can transform a person's look. In April 2018, the "Survivor" songstress took to X, formerly known as Twitter, and posted a side-by-side shot of the iconic red dress that she originally wore at the 1993 Country Music Association Awards and later at the 2018 Academy of Country Music Awards. The first outing saw a younger version of McEntire flaunting long, red curls, while she'd long since cut off her signature locks by the time she pulled the dress out of the archives for the second time. "The hair's not quite as big and the shoes are a whole lot more comfortable, but #TheRedDress still fits!" McEntire captioned the photo. "#TransformationTuesday #Fancy."

If Reba McEntire ever wanted to trade in her microphone for a walk on the wild side, she should probably dye her hair jet black. As you can see, black hair totally renders McEntire completely unrecognizable. Seriously, if we didn't know that this was McEntire, we'd probably have spent a good 10 minutes trying to recall exactly whose likeness comes to mind. With that said, we have to admit that the darker tresses definitely look good on the beloved star. Unfortunately, McEntire's dedication to red hair means that she'll never come anywhere close to hair this dark, unless she wants to fly under the radar.

Of course, McEntire has good reason to love her natural locks. "I loved my red hair," she shared with Dallas Voice in 2015, before diving into the adorable reason. "My mom was a redhead, so I felt she gave me her red hair. I've always been very, very proud of it." Also, for the skeptics, yes, McEntire really does wear her own hair most of the time. "Yeah, it's my real hair now," she said. "I did wear wigs when I did 'Annie Get Your Gun,' and then on one tour where we went from Reba in 1974 to present Reba, I did wear the big wigs and had my short hair at the end." Vacations also call for wigs on occasion. She explained, "You go from the swimming pool to getting ready for dinner in 30 minutes when you're wearing wigs!"