The 10 Best Celebrity Wigs that Kylie Jenner Did Not “Start”

Date April 12, 2016

In recent years, the presence of wigs on the red carpet (or at least, our awareness of them) has really blown up. It’s no longer considered to be a big deal to admit that the hair you’re sporting is not, in fact, your own. In fact, it’s now almost de rigeur to don a wig, whether it’s to shock with a new, bold statement or simply to preserve one’s natural hair’s health while having fun with different styles. What is shocking and totally a big deal, is when certain teenage celebs claim to have “started wigs,” causing the internet to explode.

Celebrities like Lady Gaga and Katy Perry have dominated the trend of brightly hued wigs for awhile now, while stars like Zendaya and Rihanna that keep things a little more subtle, although no less stylish. Then there’s celebrities that wear wigs that are meant to look exactly like their real hair, for a little bit of extra help. And of course, there’s that one celeb who wears a wig for the sole purpose of covering her face (you know who she is… but if you don’t, no worries: she’s on the list). Check out 10 of the most fabulous and envelope-pushing wig moments in red carpet history.

Photography by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

1. Rihanna
It’s hard to choose just one of Rihanna’s best wig moments since she’s worn so many fabulous hair pieces. The girl obviously loves a good red wig, though, and the one she wore for her performance at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards is one for the books (especially given the fact that it apparently arrived on the day of her performance in a bright orange hue, instead of the red she wanted, and they had to scramble to fix it!).

2. Katy Perry
Katy Perry has sported a lot of out-there wigs in every color from bright blue to hot pink, but our favorite of hers actually turned out to be something a little more down-to-earth. The cropped, wavy pixie that she wore to the 2015 Met Gala looked so pretty on Katy, we found ourselves wishing she would get the short style for real. (Although it’s probably for the best that the acid green version she wore later on was just a wig.)

3. Zendaya
Zendaya is another wig enthusiast, and she seems to have a lot of fun switching up her hairstyle frequently. We applaud her willingness to experiment even when she experiences backlash for her choices, whether over her dreads controversy or this short bob she wore to the 2015 Kids Choice Awards. Many fans expressed their dislike of her hair online, prompting her to post a video on Instagram telling everyone to calm down about her wigs. For what it’s worth, we think this bob was fun and stylish. Keep it up, Zendaya!

Photography via Instagram.com/kyliejenner

4. Kylie Jenner
Kylie has admitted to turning to wigs in order to indulge her love of switching up her hairstyle without damaging her real hair. She works with celebrity stylist Tokyo Stylez for many of her wigs, including her awesome icy blue wig that she debuted recently on social media and the red carpet. His wigs can cost anywhere from $600 to $4000 but we suppose that for Kylie, saving her natural hair from damage is priceless.

5. Katie Holmes
Katie Holmes may not be the first person to come to mind when you think of celebrities known to wear wigs, but she managed to cause a stir at the 2015 Met Gala when she showed up with a brand-new blunt bob. She also posted a few pictures on Instagram with scissors near her hair, teasing fans with the possible chop. Turns out, it was a prank all along. She was just wearing a wig that was reminiscent of her 2008 haircut. Of course, we think the short hair looks great on her, in case she ever wants to go short again for real.

6. Christina Hendricks
Christina Hendricks is known for her luscious, bright red waves, both on the screen as her iconic Mad Men character Joan Harris and off-screen on the red carpet. However, it’s not all-natural. Not only has she dyed her hair red since the age of 10, but she has also professed to a love of hair pieces. It’s clear in many red carpet pictures that she’s sporting a wig (see how thick this wig is at the scalp, with no skin showing), but she looks gorgeous and happy so we say keep on with your bad self, Joanie.

Photography by Mike Coppola/Getty Images

7. Nicki Minaj
Nicki Minaj has worn tons of crazy wigs over the years, but who can forget the huge pile of platinum waves that she wore to the Caroline Herrara Spring 2012 show? After all, it led to this epic photo of the fashion rule-breaker sitting next to frosty fashion rule-enforcer Anna Wintour.

Photography by Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images for Radio.com

8. Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus has put a lot of kooky things on her head in recent years, but we really liked one wig that she wore a few years back. The singer sported a chic blonde bob with blunt baby bangs at KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas Show in 2013. She looked sophisticated and grown-up in the sleek hairstyle paired with red lipstick and an all-black outfit.

Photography by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images

9. Lady Gaga
You didn’t think we’d leave Lady Gaga off this list, did you? It’s extremely hard to choose just one of Lady Gaga’s many, many legendary wigs but in the end this obnoxious yellow wig won out. Worn to the 2010 Grammys, this wig was not only eye-catching thanks to its bright color, but it also went perfectly with her pink-purple lipstick and lavender dress. Best of all, however, is the obvious wig line above her forehead, which proudly declares “Yup, this is a WIG.” No shame in Gaga’s wig game.

10. Sia
Finally, a list about celebrity wigs wouldn’t be completely without Sia. Sia is famous for wearing wigs that hide her face completely, protecting her identity and privacy. She’s only shown her face without a platinum wig on rare occasions, which makes her instantly recognizable in a totally different way. After all, who can forget her giant white wig at the 2015 Grammys? That’s one way to make your red lipstick really stand out.