Taylor Swift has unveiled her most dramatic hair transformation yet, debuting a short black flapper bob during a photoshoot for her upcoming album, Life of a Showgirl. She revealed the striking new look on Instagram in a series of elegant, sparkling shots inspired by the glitz of the iconic showgirl, featuring both her signature blonde locks and the blunt, fresh crop. The cut is almost certainly a wig (she was later spotted with her natural hair during an appearance on the New Heights podcast, filmed afterwards) but, much like her Easter eggs and exciting new tracklists, it’s safe to say we’re absolutely obsessed.

The look itself features a glamorous box bob, complete with a jet black hue and strikingly blunt fringe. A stark departure from Swift's trademark golden lengths, the singer looks almost unrecognisable with the bold, graphic chop.

Thinking of recreating Swift's glamour bob look? Here's what hairdresser Holly Fairley previously told ELLE UK about the trending cut: 'A box bob is a super clean, blunt bob cut. For someone with finer hair, it's great because it creates the illusion of thickness, it just looks healthier when it's blunt, rather than wispy. A box bob works for most textures, but if the hair is thicker or curly, it can give more of a triangular shape – by this I mean flatter at the top, heavier at the bottom. If someone with that hair type still wants the look, I'd just add some texture through the ends to soften it out.'

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Swift's playful look will no doubt make repeat appearances in the upcoming album's visuals, which we'll be eagerly anticipating until its release on 3 October 2025. In the meantime, we'll be on the lookout for more beauty Easter eggs, such as the vibrant orange lipstick she sported during the album's surprise announcement.

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Katie Withington
Beauty Writer

Katie Withington (she/her) is the Beauty Writer, at ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar. Working alongside the ELLE UK Beauty Team, she covers all things beauty for both print and digital, from finding backstage make-up trends at London Fashion Week and investigating buzzy skincare ingredients, to unzipping the beauty bags of Hailey Bieber and Margot Robbie. Prior to joining ELLE UK in 2022, Katie studied (BA) Fashion Journalism at London College of Fashion and has previously contributed to Red, Good Housekeeping and Prima.