The Transformation Of Taylor Swift's Signature Bangs Over The Years

Swifties who remember Taylor Swift's earliest eras may recall when she shared hair and beauty tips with Allure in 2011. At the time, Swift said, "My hair is naturally curly, so some days I just let it be. But when I wake up and my hair looks like a mess, I curl my hair by wrapping the hair around the curling iron to create a spiral look."

After Swift's mother allowed her to wear red lipstick for a photoshoot, that became another of Swift's hallmarks, along with the curls. Scarlet has continued being Swift's usual go-to lip shade, but she made a major hairstyle change in 2010 when she unveiled bangs for the American Music Awards. Her bangs and hair were also straightened for that appearance.

Since then, Swift's hairdo repertoire has included many different ways of styling bangs. Swift's hair transformation has seen it all: curly bangs, straight bangs, side bangs, and even platinum-bleached bangs.

In January 2011, Taylor Swift showed up to the People's Choice Awards with her curly hair in a low bun. Her hair was styled to include long side bangs with picture-perfect curls, as seen in the above-left photo. Later that year in August, the "Dear John" singer hit the Teen Choice Awards with her hair mostly straight in a high ponytail. That look also featured long, curled side bangs, per the above-right photo.

This was in the midst of the "Speak Now" era. During that album's international tour, Swift primarily performed with her hair curly and down. However, for a portion of her concerts, Swift somewhat combined those two awards show looks and opted for a curly-ponytail-with-side-bang hairstyle.

During the next era of Swift's life and career, her hair began to look very different. Her bangs were cut shorter and her hair was a lot straighter.

The era surrounding Taylor Swift's "Red" album was when the singer fully embraced blunt bangs. It was also a time when any curls in her hair were a lot softer than the look fans were used to. Years after her hair started looking a lot straighter, Swift addressed the shift in a March 2019 Elle interview about what she'd learned in almost 30 years of life. "From birth, I had the curliest hair and now it is STRAIGHT," Swift said. "It's the straight hair I wished for every day in junior high. But just as I was coming to terms with loving my curls, they've left me. Please pray for their safe return."

That sentiment could be why six years earlier in April 2013, Swift chose to add some curl to her hair for her performance at Tim McGraw's Superstar Summer Night. As seen above-left, the curls added some nice volume, and the bangs were flattering with her face shape.

A year later, Swift cut her hair into a bob. In a now-deleted Instagram photo shared by Vanity Fair at the time, fans could see a return of the longer side bangs from eras of yore. Swift rocked side bangs again in the above-right "1989" era concert photo from 2015.

The Taylor Swift era that bridged the gap between "1989" and "Reputation" was known to her fans as "Bleachella," since Swift bleached her bob and sweepy, short bangs platinum blond (see the above-left photo). However, for the bulk of the "Reputation" era, Swift's hair was its natural blond color. Her hairstyles also felt like upgraded versions of past styles — her hair was long and curly (though the curls were looser than her teen/young adult years), and the 'do was paired with shaggier bangs. The above-right photo from the "Reputation" tour is a prime example.

Swift's bangs were mostly the same during her "Lover" era, though her hair was straighter, as seen in this selfie on Instagram. She also played around with new hair colors. Instead of "Bleachella" blond, Swift went for pink and/or blue strands to match the colors and motifs of the "Lover" album, and promotional photos on Instagram showed the dreamy look. 

Like many of us, Taylor Swift was holed up inside during COVID-19 quarantine. Unlike most of us, Swift used that time to write two albums: "folklore" and "evermore." The albums are like family and pretty much are a combined era, since in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Swift said, "I'm elated to tell you that my 9th studio album, and folklore's sister record, will be out tonight at midnight eastern." The era can be identified by Swift's short, curly bangs, which she flaunted during her performance of "betty" for the 2020 Academy of Country Music Awards. As seen above, her hair was up in the back, with a few strands framing her face.

The curly bangs were also a staple when Swift shared big news that she was rereleasing "Fearless" as "Fearless (Taylor's Version)." The album artwork for the front cover and back cover shared to Genius show Swift's bangs looking windswept as she tosses her hair.

Taylor Swift's Eras Tour combined former musical eras with her albums that hadn't been toured: "Lover," "folklore," "evermore," "Midnights" and "The Tortured Poets Department" (which was added to the setlist following its 2024 release). Hair-wise, she usually sported a straight style for the concerts. Per a photo shared by Bustle and the above-left image from when she performed in London's Wembley Stadium on August 15, 2024, Swift seemed to favor the waterfall bangs hair trend or curtain bangs for the Eras Tour. Both of those kinds of bangs aren't as short on the sides as standard bangs. 

The weather sometimes shakes up Swift's hair, giving her bangs the curly look from previous eras. For instance, the above-right photo is from when Swift performed in Hamburg, Germany's Volksparkstadion on July 23, 2024. The rain caused Swift's hair and bangs to curl, which she referenced on social media.

"Hamburg!! I loved those crowds so so so much," Swift wrote on Instagram. "AND we got a rain show night one, unlocking Fuzzy Hair Me for the evening."