Reba McEntire Looks Like A Totally Different Person With These Super Short Hairstyles

Country music superstar Reba McEntire's stunning hair transformation cannot be understated. From the big, curly looks she rocked in the 1980s and early '90s, to the smooth and sleek styles she's played around with in more recent times, the "Fancy" singer has never been afraid to experiment with different hairstyles. However, one of McEntire's boldest hairstyles ever came during the back half of the 1990s, when she decided to cut her long, curly locks into a pixie cut. It was such a drastic change that it almost made her look like a totally different person.

According to McEntire, getting her managers and stylists to let her cut her hair so short was no easy feat. "They told me my hair was my image. 'You got your big hair all jacked up to Jesus. You can't cut your hair off,'" McEntire told Glamour in 2024, adding, "And I said, 'Well, it'll give you something else to talk about.' And they said, 'Oh, okay. That's an idea.' So we did." Though McEntire's team relented, they did so on the condition that she wear a wig for months on end before they were ready for her to debut her new look. Nevertheless, McEntire has described chopping off her hair in the '90s as "freeing." That in mind, we decided to not only take a look at McEntire's underrated pixie era, but consult an expert for some exclusive commentary why it was such a big change for her, as well as what sort of styles the country singer should lean into now that she's a bit older.

In June 2025, Reba McEntire looked back fondly on her short-hair era, taking to Instagram to share some throwback photos originally taken for the packaging of her 1998 album "If You See Him." In the photos, McEntire looks remarkably different than she did on the cover of her previous album, "What If It's You." That's not a bad thing, of course. In fact, it marked a refreshing change.

According to red carpet hairstylist Luna Viola, there are a number of reasons for this. "Hairstyles can alter people appearances by accentuating or downplaying facial features," Viola explained, adding, "Short hair naturally exposes the whole face and emphasizes the jaw and cheekbones adding an edge to the look."

Reba McEntire was all smiles on the red carpet for the 24th Annual People's Choice Awards in January 1998. Her pixie cut was on full display for what would prove to be a big night for the country singer. In addition to co-hosting the show with Ray Romano, she was also named co-winner of the Favorite Female Musical Performer award alongside the late, great Whitney Houston. Over the course of her career, McEntire has taken home that honor a record six times. She also has plenty of People's Choice Awards to her name in other categories.

Of course, Reba McEntire's victory at the 24th Annual People's Choice Awards wasn't only award she won in 1998. In fact, it wasn't even the only time she won one that January. That same month, McEntire took home the honor of Favorite Country Female Artist at the 25th American Music Awards. She and her short hair were photographed proudly holding the award on the red carpet after the fact. Spoiler alert: McEntire's accolade-filled year didn't stop there, and her pixie cut stuck around for most of the journey.

Sadly, Reba McEntire didn't take home any hardware at the 33rd Annual Academy of Country Music Awards in April 1998. She was nominated for Entertainer of the Year, but the honor ultimately went to Garth Brooks. However, a short-haired McEntire did take the stage during the show to perform a rendition of "If You See Him/If You See Her" alongside the duo of Kix Brooks (no relation to Garth) and Ronnie Dunn. Coincidentally, Brooks & Dunn had been named Entertainers of the Year at the ACM Awards one year prior.

Reba McEntire's big year of accolades continued in September 1998. On Sept. 16, McEntire rocked her short red hair and a stylish black suit when she and then-husband Narvel Blackstock attended the Los Angeles premiere of the Meryl Streep movie "One True Thing." 

Just two days later, the redheaded country star was honored with her very own star on the fabled Hollywood Walk of Fame. She wore a similar suit for the ceremony, albeit with a red shirt underneath the black jacket this time. Country Music Television would later commemorate 20 years since McEntire's Walk of Fame ceremony in a 2018 Facebook post.

Reba McEntire didn't just bring her short hair to concerts, awards shows, and other public appearances. She also brought it to the movie screen — well, the made-for-TV movie screen. 1998 saw the CBS premiere of the film "Forever Love," which stars McEntire as a woman who miraculously wakes up from a 20-year coma, and features original music by the woman herself. Her character also does have long hair at one point during the movie, so we're going to go ahead and assume that McEntire was wearing a wig for those scenes.

If there's one thing Reba McEntire is known for besides her music and her red locks, it's her sense of style. Granted, not all of McEntire's outfits have hit the mark. Still, there's no denying her dedication to trying new things and changing things up. Take, for instance, the fact that she's been known to change outfits more than a dozen times during a single show. This passion for fashion remained during McEntire's short-hair era, like when she donned a white jacket-and-skirt ensemble for a concert in San Jose, California in December 1998.

Reba McEntire's short hair era also really gave her the time to experiment with a more of a tomboy aesthetic, like we saw with the black suit she wore in September 1998. Later on, she looked like one cool customer when she complimented her pixie cut with a black leather jacket for an appearance on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" in November of 1999. Just one month prior, McEntire was seen pairing her short red hair with a green suit while performing at People Magazine's 25th anniversary celebration in October 1999.

By the time she attended the ALMA Awards in April 2000, when she was freshly 45, it was clear that Reba McEntire's pixie era was coming to an end. Though her hair was still short, she had noticeably started to let it grow back. And though it was sad to see that look go, hairstylist Luna Viola says it was for the best in the long run. "Short hair styles after 50s can easily make a woman look older and very long hair can drag the face down too much," Viola told us, adding that she thinks mid-length styles suit McEntire best at this stage.