With theatrical prowess and a renewed commitment to never donning the same look twice, Lady Gaga has managed to serve a palette of diverse beauty throughout her career. From platinum blond bangs to copious amounts of black eyeliner, the 39-year-old Grammy winner, born Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, is not a fan of natural beauty. In fact, until recently, she opted for anything but.
The early years of Lady Gaga saw the performer rely on dark makeup and eclectic hairstyles to embellish her persona, on and off the stage. She became renowned for having stark blond hair, finely-chopped forehead bangs and faux eyelashes. Her eyes were often colored in black shadow, and nude or red lipstick dressed her lips. But while certain facets of her visage remained consistent, the styling techniques were always different. There was no aesthetic too out-of-the-ordinary or far-fetched for her. Green eyebrows and blue lips? She’d do it all.
Now, the singer has, in part, matured her aesthetic. She’s pared back her makeup, bleached her eyebrows and ditched the platinum hair for inky coloring. The “You and I” vocalist has reverted to her Y2K beauty a few times in the last few months, but her red carpet and concert look has mostly settled on 1990s grunge glam. Her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, for instance, saw her evolve her character into a Queen of Hearts doppelgänger.
Here, see photos of Lady Gaga’s beauty spanning 20 years.