I'm in Love with Ariel Winter's New 'Little Mermaid'-Inspired Red Hair

OMG, I totally get this reference! Modern Family's Ariel Winter just debuted a huge hair change (totally inspired by The Little Mermaid) by dying her normally dark brunette hair a bright, funky orange-red color. Considering that the character in the film is named Ariel, just like her, the reference is seriously meta—and actually totally gorgeous on her, in my opinion.

The actress debuted the new 'do on Instagram yesterday, complete with a bunch of mermaid emojis so we know that the reference is 100% deliberate. Even better, Ariel was spotted out and about in L.A. with the beautiful, flowing locks. It looks like that is her actual hair, not a wig or extensions—which, in my opinion, is even more daring, because it's more permanent. Ariel's got a youthful, trendy, fashion-forward style, and she's absolutely unapologetic about her look. She just recently shared unretouched photos from a Pulse Spikes magazine shoot (opens in new tab), looking utterly gorgeous, of course. 

Back to this new 'do: I could clearly never pull this off (my curls would make the red hue look like a clown wig, and my husband would laugh himself silly). But I actually think Ariel is pulling it off.

This is what Ariel's hair looked like just a couple days ago (the texture and length looks about the same, to me):

And here's Ariel's new lewk:

Now she and I both are singing "Part of Your World" at the top of our lungs, so thanks Ariel!

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

SUBSCRIBE HERE (opens in new tab)