Mary J. Blige Looks Back On Her Best Beauty Moments From Over The Years

Welcome to Legends Only, a look back at the best beauty moments from our favorite celebrity legends. Below, Mary J. Blige walks us through her archive of hair and makeup transformations— from the 1996 Grammys to accepting her Lifetime Achievement award. Here are the stories behind the glam.

Mary J. Blige's beauty journey began in 1988 with a bit of help from Salt-n-Pepa's "Shake Your Thang" music video. "Salt had a platinum bob, Pepa had a honey-blonde bob, and I wanted it, too," says Blige over our Zoom call. "So I started dyeing my hair in eighth grade, and I've basically been blonde ever since. That's also why I've always loved a bob haircut so much."Shades of golden might just be Blige's thing. (Along with eight multi-platinum albums, of course.) Her golden blonde tresses are now part of the Gold Bond #ChampionYourSkin campaign, aimed at calling attention to and celebrating Black stuntwomen who work in the entertainment industry."I'm not seeing any progress for black women in entertainment," Blige says. "Thank God I have a great team who fights for me to get roles and opportunities. That's why I am fighting for these stuntwomen—I don't really see any progress being made for black women in entertainment."Below, Blige walks us down memory lane and explains each of her iconic beauty beats in her own words.