JoJo Siwa’s Haircut: Why She Hacked Off Her Iconic Ponytail For Pixie Cut & Short Styles

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JoJo Siwa, 19, made quite the splash when she joined the cast of Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition during its second season in 2013 when she was just 9 years old. While she proved herself to be a fierce competitor on the dance floor, she showed everyone that she also had star power —  and she certainly used it. Following her exit from the TLC series, she signed with Nickelodeon and became a star in her own right, appearing in the Nick film Blurt! and the series Lip Sync Battle Shorties. Her energetic and positive personality won the hearts of millions of kids around the globe and her good-girl persona had many parents pleased their children had her as a role model.

As she grew up, JoJo naturally evolved into her own person with her own thoughts and opinions, and she has been known to stand up for herself and what she thinks is right. For instance, in Jan. 2021, she came out as gay after rumors swirled about her sexuality, a big move for someone part of the Nickelodeon family, and an announcement that would have ended a child star’s career in the past. Furthermore, she called out Nickelodeon in Sept. 2021 for only viewing her as “only a brand” after the company refused to let her perform some of her newer songs from her 2021 movie musical as part of the JoJo Siwa D.R.E.A.M. The Tour.

And as JoJo continued to grow into her own person, she made another drastic change in her life: she cut off her iconic long, blonde hair that was always styled in a high ponytail with a giant bow, her signature look. Stereotypically, it’s not easy for folks with long hair to just chop it off without some emotional preparation and for some, without some serious consideration and thought. So, why did she do it? Read on for an investigation into JoJo Siwa’s haircut and hair evolution.

JoJo Siwa’s Famous Ponytail

As soon as JoJo appeared on Abby’s Ultimate Dance Competition, she rocked her straight, blonde hair up in a high ponytail during dance practice, often with a bow. That high ponytail carried over to her teenage stardom, and JoJo’s high ponytail garnished with a hair bow that was as big as her personality became synonymous with her persona. Throw in some hair glitter and sparkles, and it was a completed masterpiece. JoJo’s fame even allowed her to create her own line of hair bows — The JoJo Bow — so her dedicated fans could rock the same look.

JoJo, of course, had her face plastered across almost any item she could sell to kids by the time she was 15, but her hair bows always held a special place for her. During a 2019 interview, the “Boomerang” singer revealed she sold 45 million bows in just that year alone and commented on her love for the accessory. “For me the bow is a cute, fun hair accessory and to everyone, that’s what it looks like. But really what it is, if you’re wearing a ‘JoJo Bow’ you’re a Siwanator and if you’re a Siwanator you’re someone who is strong, confident, powerful, you believe in yourself, you believe in everyone, you love everyone, you support everyone,” she confidently stated on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

The following year, about a month into the coronavirus pandemic, a 16-year-old JoJo defended her obsession with hairbows in a TikTok video. “Recently, I’ve been showing myself looking different — not the classic rainbow, sparkles, and side ponytail with a JoJo bow,” she wrote over a video of herself standing in the grand entrance of her gorgeous Los Angeles home. “I’ve been hated on for YEARS for dressing ‘young’ and acting ‘childish.’ People think this is me changing. LOL nope! I love who I am!” she concluded as she danced to “From Now On” from the musical The Greatest Showman.

@itsjojosiwa

i have a PSA! “if you yell at me i’m gonna cry”….. but if you hate on me i’m gonna laugh hahah! thank u for the good times! love u!

♬ original sound – 💕Christi_jean💕

However, once JoJo became a legal adult, she decided it was time for change and did the unthinkable: She cut her precious hair.

JoJo’s Hair Makeover

On April 6, 2022, JoJo sent fans into a frenzy when she revealed via an Instagram video that she was cutting her hair. “Mayyyyy have done something todayyyy,” she wrote in the caption of the video, which showed her hair twisted into a low ponytail and getting chopped off with scissors.

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A post shared by JoJo Siwa (@itsjojosiwa)

The following day, on April 7, JoJo gave the big reveal. She cut her hair so that it was nearly shaved on the sides with a curly pompadour on the top of her head that swooped over her forehead from right to left. She gave a big grin in the selfie she posted and simply captioned it, “HAPPPPPY”.

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A post shared by JoJo Siwa (@itsjojosiwa)

Following the head-turning haircut, JoJo revealed to Entertainment Tonight that she expected to get some reaction from her new ‘do, but did not expect people to be so intrigued. “It’s hilarious. I knew it would be a shock to people…I knew it was going to be like, ‘Oh my gosh, JoJo put her hair down,’ because people just don’t see that. But I also did not expect it to go as crazy as it did,” she explained. She also made sure fans knew that just because she ditched her ponytail does not mean she ditched her hair bow collection. “The bow will never be over,” she stated. “I mean, the bow is my life. I loved it ever since I was little. It’s become who I am.”

Since then, JoJo has rocked all sorts of new hairstyles with her shorter ‘do, including braided pigtails, regular pigtails, high ponytails, space buns, and more. And while JoJo has not been using bows as her go-to accessory, she has certainly made up for it with all the glitter and hair gemstones she uses to bling out her looks!

Why JoJo Siwa Cut Her Hair

As far as fans know, JoJo didn’t have some dramatic epiphany that convinced her to chop off her hair. She never revealed the exact reason she decided to get her new hair cut, but one thing is for sure: she’s loving it. JoJo has taken to TikTok several times to show fans different ways she can style her hair, including putting it up in a smaller version of her iconic high ponytail completed with a bow!

@itsjojosiwa

Reply to @hayleighdemo21 made it work🤪🤪

♬ Ponytail – Badanamu

One thing she did reveal, though, is that her highly debated bald spot was not caused by her hair being pulled from the high ponytails she donned for years, as many people speculated. Instead, she took to TikTok to explain that she has a spot above her right ear that has very thin hair due to the stress she was placed under on Dance Moms. “When I was little I had a really bad stress rash right here on Dance Moms and I would pick at it all day long and I damaged every single hair follicle that has ever been there,” the “J Team” actress shared in July 2022. “So now I’m carrying her love with me… right there.”