Erika Kirk's Natural Hair Totally Changes Her Look
Erika Kirk has become a more public figure since her husband, conservative podcaster Charlie Kirk, was shot and killed during an appearance at Utah Valley University in September 2025. She's memorialized her husband alongside Donald Trump, attended the Fox Nation Patriot Awards, and even made headlines for her controversial, weirdly intimate hug with Vice President JD Vance. In her public appearances, Kirk often conforms to the "MAGA Barbie" look, which usually consists of heavy, dramatic makeup and long, styled hair extensions. There are very few photos of Kirk makeup-free, but they exist, as do photos of her natural hair, without extensions or hairpieces in it.
Just weeks before Charlie's death, Kirk posted a carousel of family photos on Instagram. The former beauty queen wore a hat in the photos, but her hair is down in the back. It's naturally very wavy and thin, and it gives her a more relaxed vibe than the "uptight Barbie" demeanor she usually strives for. The carousel also featured photos likely taken on a different day of the whole Kirk family enjoying nature. Although Kirk was wearing a high ponytail, likely built with extensions in those photos, the wind was blowing in her hair, giving her a more authentic vibe. She truly looks like a different person when she relaxes her style and literally lets her hair down, instead of falling in line with the Republican aesthetic ideal for women.
Erika Kirk looked like a different person before meeting Charlie
Erika Kirk is a former Miss Arizona who once appeared in a music video before she met her husband, the late Charlie Kirk. In 2012, she starred in the video for Emerson Drive's hit "She's My Kind of Crazy." While she was obviously styled for a video shoot, she had a fresher look back then, even while wearing a full face of makeup. Kirk even sounded different in a behind-the-scenes video from the set — it seems as though her voice has gotten deeper and more gravelly since then.
The mom of two was obviously polished and made up in throwback photos from her pageant days, but the makeup application had a more airbrushed, less heavy feel to it, which looked more fun and casually feminine. Kirk's shade of blond before she met Charlie also had a warmer, slightly more golden tone to it, which gave off more approachable vibes than the icy platinum shade favored by many MAGA women. Kirk's preferred hairstyle, known as "Republican hair" in some circles, often looks overdone with extra-long extensions and loose, face-framing curls. It actually seems to age her, which we doubt is the look she's going for.