Ariana Grande Trades Iconic Ponytail for Retro Bob Days After Mourning Dog Coco Ahead of Planned Public Break

Ariana Grande has let go of the hairstyle most closely tied to her image.

The Grammy-winning singer and actor, 33, posted selfies on Instagram on Thursday showing a new retro-style bob. She wore the cut with a deep side part and ends flipped outward, a 1960s-inspired look that differs sharply from the sleek, high ponytail she has worn for most of the past decade.

The post ended with a photo of one of her dogs. Grande did not comment on the haircut in the post.

A difficult week

The new look came three days after Grande shared that Coco, her dog of 17 years, had died.

On Monday, she posted an Instagram tribute with photos, some in black and white, and videos of Coco over the years. She called her "sweetest, most amazing and most beautiful coco."

"I am so proud of you," Grande wrote. "Thank you for your love, and for blessing this planet with your physical presence for over seventeen wonderful years."

Coco was one of Grande's most familiar pets to fans and appeared regularly on her social media for much of her career.

The ponytail's long history

The high ponytail has been Grande's trademark for more than 10 years. It has drawn imitation from fans, parody from late-night television, and many questions about why she rarely wears her hair any other way.

Grande has said it started out of necessity. While playing Cat Valentine on the Nickelodeon series "Victorious" and its spinoff "Sam & Cat," she bleached and dyed her naturally dark hair red for years. In a 2014 Facebook post, she wrote that the color treatments had left her hair badly damaged and that she relied on extensions pulled back into a ponytail while it grew back.

"I wear it in a ponytail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down," she wrote at the time.

The style became part of her stage persona and stayed long after her hair recovered. In 2018, singer Camila Cabello asked her on Twitter how she managed the discomfort of such a tight, high style. Grande answered with a joke that confirmed it hurt.

"nah jk i'm in constant pain always and don't care at all," she wrote.

Grande has changed her look before. In November 2018, after her breakup with comedian Pete Davidson and the release of her hit "thank u, next," she posted a selfie with a shoulder-length bob. As with Thursday's post, she did not mention the haircut directly.

"this filter took my eyebrows away but i promise they're there," she wrote in the caption, referring to a bunny-ear filter on the photo.

She has worn other styles over the years, including platinum blond hair and the blond look she wore while filming the two-part "Wicked" adaptation. The ponytail kept coming back.

Stepping back from the spotlight

The new haircut comes as Grande prepares to leave public life for a while.

In August, her representative told People magazine that she would be "taking a step back from visibility" once her Eternal Sunshine Tour ended and she finished promoting her next film.

"She looks forward to finishing the tour and ending it on a high note, both healthily and happily, and then taking a much-deserved break from public-facing work and appearances, which has led to endless, ongoing public scrutiny," the representative said then.

"This tour has been a beautiful experience for her. She loves her fans and has loved every minute of this tour so much," the representative added.

The Eternal Sunshine Tour, named for her 2024 album "Eternal Sunshine," ended Sept. 1. It was her first major concert tour in several years and included stops in North America and Britain.

The rep's comment about "ongoing public scrutiny" reflects a strain that has followed Grande for much of her career. Commentary about her appearance, relationships and personal life has been constant online, and she has addressed it publicly at times.

One more premiere first

Before the break, Grande still has a movie to promote.

She stars in "Focker-in-Law," the fourth film in the "Meet the Parents" comedy series, which Universal will release in theaters Nov. 25. Robert De Niro and Ben Stiller return as Jack Byrnes and Greg Focker, joined by Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner and Teri Polo. Skyler Gisondo and Beanie Feldstein play Greg and Pam's grown children.

Grande plays Olivia Jones, a former FBI hostage negotiator engaged to Gisondo's character, Henry Focker. In the trailer, released in April, De Niro's suspicious ex-CIA patriarch straps her to the family's lie detector, recreating a well-known scene from the 2000 original.

John Hamburg, who co-wrote the earlier films, wrote and directed the new one. The first three movies earned more than $1 billion worldwide combined.

It is Grande's first major film role since she played Glinda in "Wicked," which earned her an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actress, and its 2025 sequel, "Wicked: For Good."

A source told People in September that Grande is "very proud" of the film and remains "committed" to promoting it before stepping away.

That suggests her new bob is likely to get plenty of red-carpet appearances over the next five weeks, before she steps back from public view.