A Hillary Clinton Hairstory: Long Locks, Headbands, and Power Cuts

A wise woman once said, “The most important thing I have to say to you today is that hair matters.” That wise woman is Hillary Clinton.

Clinton spoke those words in semi-jest 15 years ago to a class of graduating students at Yale University. In the same 2001 speech, Clinton explained that her family and friends never successfully impressed upon her the importance of image early in life. College photos of a young Clinton, then named Hillary Rodham, reflected that approach, or lack thereof, to her hair. It was long, natural and plain, but for the 20-something who had no public face, it worked.

Placing so much emphasis on someone’s hairstyle may seem trite, or even silly, but as a former secretary of state, senator, first lady, and now two-time presidential hopeful, Clinton has finally learned the importance of public image, as she explained to the Yale graduates.

“Your hair will send significant messages to those around you. What hopes and dreams you have for the world, but more, what hopes and dreams you have for your hair,” said Clinton. “Pay attention to your hair, because everyone else will.”

Everyone else did and still does when it comes to Clinton. Her hair has been written about in dozens of articles. And, why not? It’s natural for people to want to dissect her inside and out. Unfortunately for Clinton, her hair hasn’t always garnered the most positive reviews.

During her tenure as first lady, Clinton’s hair was in a constant state of flux. It was long, short, blond, strawberry blond, teased, sleek, straight, curly, up, down. What did it all mean? Was her long hairstyle an effort to be youthful? Was her short hair more of a serious ‘do? What message was she sending? Hair guru and salon owner Cristophe Schatteman, who styled both Hillary and President Bill Clinton, says Hillary’s hair wasn’t actually trying to send a message. “She likes to have fun with her hair, and that’s just that,” he says. Really?

Lauren A. Rothman, a D.C.-based image consultant and author of Style Bible: What to Wear to Work, says that the morphing styles were “very on par for first lady and for being a woman exploring her style.”

In Clinton’s 2003 book, Living History, she wrote, “For most of my life I had paid little attention to my clothes. I liked headbands. They were easy, and I couldn’t imagine that they suggested anything good, bad or indifferent about me to the American public. But during the [1992] campaign, some of my friends began a mission to spruce up my appearance. They brought me racks of clothes to try on, and they told me the headband had to go.”

Apparently some of that advice fell on deaf ears. As late as 1997, Clinton was still sporting the almighty headband. Headbands were in vogue throughout the 1990s — from the plastic slip-ons with hair-grabbing teeth to thin stretchy types to the one it appeared Clinton loved the most: the thick, padded headband. “The headband was really a hair accessory of the moment,” Rothman says. “It’s hard to fault someone for wearing something of the moment.”

Earlier this summer, stylist Isabelle Goetz explained to The Cut that she helped Clinton fall into her hair groove at the tail end of the ’90s. “I gave her a cut in ’98, and little by little I started to transform that bob into something that has more lift and layers,” said Goetz.

This short, piecey, layered style that’s more akin to her current coif was honed shortly before the time Clinton campaigned and won a seat in the New York Senate in 2000. Rothman explains that was likely a careful choice, because personal style can move votes. “Your nonverbal cues and body language are really what 80 percent of the public will relate to,” she says. The moment Clinton decided to run for public office, her hair became an integral puzzle piece in her political canvas.”

“The number one thing for someone that’s visible is consistency,” says Christophe. This notion can explain why Clinton’s short, face-framing style crops up each time she’s campaigning. Since her first presidential race against then-Illinois Senator Barack Obama in 2007, nearly a decade after Goetz started to transform her many styles into a signature ‘do, her hair has more or less stayed consistent.

“She looks powerful. She’s got that executive presence and right hairstyle for her face shape,” Rothman says.

In 2009, Clinton began serving as U.S. secretary of state, a position she held until 2013. During this time, she departed from nearly all of her former styles, opting to grow out her hair and wear simple ponytails and buns. No bangs, no curls, no nonsense.

Christophe says this type of hairstyle is a calculated move both for form and function. “If you have a moment of crisis, and that’s valid for any candidate, and you get a brand new haircut, that’s all people talk about,” he says. The long hair pulled back is quick, easy, and if you’re talking about a cease-fire in a war-torn country, you have no room for questions from detractors about how long it takes to wand-curl your hair.

But, even something as simple as a ponytail has to be done right when you’re under a political microscope. “When a woman puts her hair back, it has to have an intentional look. It’s the look of someone who’s busy,” says Rothman. “When it is intentionally back with a clip or a stylized hair clasp, that’s different than a scrunchie.” Clinton made headlines when she donned the classic accessory while meeting Burmese politician Aung San Suu Kyi.

These days we’re back to what can only be described as Clinton’s signature campaign look. During her current bid for 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, she has returned to a style similar to her Senate runs and her first presidential campaign. “First of all, it’s something that works for her in terms of maintenance, consistency, and as a matter of practicality,” says Christophe. The former Clinton hairstylist is quick to note that when you’re a busy politician, you need a hairstyle that looks good but can be done extremely fast and on the road. Sticking with one style is usually the quickest and easiest.

If Clinton does manage to make it to the Oval Office, the scrutiny of her style will only get worse. In March, Kristen Bellstrom of Fortune wrote: “On some level, we cannot separate women from the way they look. While we can laugh at Trump’s goofy hair and then move on, Clinton’s hair is somehow the embodiment of her character. Changing hairstyles mean she can’t be trusted. A matronly look means she’s pandering to women. An expensive haircut means she’s lost touch with America.”

That type of burden is simply not felt by men in the political arena. “It’s very unfair [for women in politics],” Christophe says. The fuzzy ‘do of Clinton’s rival, Donald Trump, is constantly at the center of jokes, but those jokes never seem to affect anyone’s perception of his abilities.

So, where will the style of a possible President Hillary Clinton go? Christophe wouldn’t be surprised if we see her playing with some different looks since, he says, she really does like to have some fun with her hair. We do know one thing for sure: It won’t go the way of her predecessors.

“You’re not going to see me turn white in the White House,” Clinton said jokingly last year, before the she became the Democratic presidential nominee. “I’m aware I might not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I have one big advantage: I’ve been coloring my hair for years.”

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