Demi Lovato’s Pixie Cut Is a ‘Symbolic Shedding’ — Here’s What It Means
Celebrities are known for being on the cutting edge of fashion and style trends, and we often turn to them for guidance on what’s about to be hot. We use their looks as guides for what we should buy, how we should style our hair, and even what our homes should look like. Still, not every choice a celebrity makes becomes a broader hit, and some of their choices are downright questionable.
As Demi Lovato announces that she has a bold new look in mind, we’re left wondering if it will be the start of a broader trend or not.
Demi Lovato rose to fame as a child actor
Lovato rose to fame as a child actor, but her early time in the entertainment industry was certainly not as magical as the child-friendly network’s reputation. She appeared in Camp Rock in 2008 alongside the Jonas Brothers, and that shot her fame and recognition into overdrive.
Soon after, she landed the lead role in the television series Sonny with a Chance, where she played a Wisconsin teen who relocates to LA to try to make it big on her favorite TV show. The metafiction provided a rosy picture of fame, but Lovato’s real-life experience was marked with trauma.
Lovato has since opened up about being raped by a Disney co-star when she was just 15 and eventually leaving Disney amid a growing understanding of the pressures surrounding her.
Demi Lovato is open about addiction
As Lovato left her child star status behind, she had a lot of trauma to work through. Lovato has been incredibly open and public about her experiences with substance addiction, and she spent a long time out of the public eye and in recovery.
In 2018, she was hospitalized for an overdose, and her mental health and addiction struggles began to overshadow her career, which had shifted from acting into music.
In 2020, Lovato returned to the spotlight with a new outlook and a message about the importance of recovery and getting the help needed to be healthy. An upcoming YouTube documentary promises to bring fans even more of Lovato’s tale.
It’s titled Dancing with the Devil, and Lovato has been thanking fans for allowing her to tell her side of the story as she promotes the multi-part series that will look back at some of her most challenging moments.
Is an extreme new look in Demi Lovato’s future?
Part of her return to the spotlight has included interviews that touch upon her struggles and new image. In the March 2021 cover story for Glamour, Lovato had a lot to say.
In addition to keeping up her reputation for openness and honesty around her own struggles, Lovato also appeared with an eye-popping new look. Her hair is cut into a short pixie cut and dyed a bright shade of pink. According to the article, the new hairstyle was a conscious choice back in the fall and functions as “a symbolic shedding of the heteronormative box she was confined in for years.”
Lovato opened up to Glamour about exploring her sexuality and coming out as queer: “I know who I am and what I am, but I’m just waiting until a specific timeline to come out to the world as what I am.” She also revealed that her shorter hair is a transition stage to her end goal of shaving her head completely.
As Page Six reports, Lovato has experimented with her look in the past and gotten some pushback from fans. When she shaved half her head in 2014, she got a lot of negative comments: “It reignited that fear inside of me of being who I really am.”
It looks like Lovato is ready to face that fear, and whether her new look sparks a trend or not, she’s going to authentically follow what makes her feel comfortable in her own skin — and that’s a trend that looks good on everyone.
