But the 12-year-old’s stylist insists the change was not for the sake of getting more attention
For the past six years, 12-year-old Hollywood darling JoJo Siwa has sported one of the most recognizable and trademarked hairstyles of all time: a ponytail and bow. On Saturday, the bubbly Disney star ditched the trademark look for a glitzy red carpet moment at the premiere of her latest film, Forever Ever After.
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“Crazy crazy fast. About to go out!” she wrote on her Instagram shortly before she made her debut at the premiere of Forever Ever After, in which she plays a struggling teen with a Southern childhood.
JoJo Siwa attends the Forever Ever After premiere. Photograph: Instagram/jonasmom/app/vrs
Siwa posted on Instagram that she started to wear the bow when she was six. She said it was her mother’s idea, and that she “didn’t love it at first”.
But she added that it was important that her hair be memorable – and a point she emphasized on Instagram, saying “if you have to have something unique, then wear it”.
Alyssa Campanella, Siwa’s stylist, said that although Siwa’s bow is now gone, the style had really started to become her signature look.
“This new look has been her signature look for the past six years,” she told Elle. “Although I believe the simple ponytail has always been her signature, I love the boldness of this new hair style.”
Alyssa Campanella, JoJo Siwa’s stylist. Photograph: iStockphoto
Campanella added that she wanted Siwa to have a memorable, unique red carpet moment. “I wanted to create a standout moment and do something that would really show her personality and growth as an artist,” she said.
It isn’t the first time the ponytail has been on the chopping block for Siwa, or her stylist. Campanella said that Siwa has had her hair “do’d with a bit of lift and length”, and joked that there has even been talk of going without her beloved bows for a while.
“She knows that the bow is such a signature part of her. She loves it,” she said. “Right now, she has that adorable and fun fringe on the side. We’ll probably take off the bow for a little while.”