NEWSKaty Perry's Iconic Pixie Cut Was the Result of 'Burnt' Hair From Bleaching, Colorist Reveals
Katy Perry’s dramatic 2017 pixie cut made headlines, but her hairdresser now said it was caused by severe bleach damage.
May 26 2025, Published 2:33 p.m. ET
Katy Perry wanted to feel "liberated" with her daring blonde pixie cut in 2017, but her hairdresser Justin Anderson uncovered a more alarming reason behind her drastic chop.
"I burnt her hair off," Anderson revealed during a conversation with close friend Kristin Cavallari on her podcast "Let's Be Honest" on May 20.
The celebrated colorist, 44, explained that Perry, 40, initially sought to transition from her jet-black locks to a platinum blonde hue, a process that is "virtually impossible." He recalled how Perry sought out another stylist before coming to him but faced severe damage.
Colorist Justin Anderson revealed Katy Perry's 2017 hair was falling out from over-bleaching.
"So, when she came to me, they had been bleaching it over and over, and her hair was crisp," he said.
Anderson warned Perry that her hair "will break off" but the "Firework" hitmaker insisted to "push it."
The celebrated stylist described the ordeal as he applied a full head of foils with the gentlest bleach available.
"As I got to the top of her head, all of the foils on her head just started falling out," he added. "It was so bad. Because that's when she got the blonde pixie cut, that really short pixie cut," Anderson said, calling the hair disaster "the worst experience for a hairdresser to ever deal with."
Katy Perry showed the buzzed platinum cut on Instagram in 2017, calling it 'liberating.'
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Perry made her blonde debut at the Golden Globe Awards in January 2017, showcasing a shoulder-length bob. Shortly after, she split from now-fiancé Orlando Bloom but unveiled her new pixie cut in March 2017, a move that sparked headlines. The couple reconciled the following year.
The pop star took to Instagram to share a glimpse of her dramatic new look, captioning a video, "So happy," about her "Michelle Williams-inspired" style. She credited famed stylist Chris McMillan for the cut and Anderson for the color.
In another post flaunting her new hair, Perry said, "I wasn't ready until now," while playfully asking, "What do you think, Chris?" as she touched her short platinum locks.
McMillan replied, "I love it, are you kidding? I've been wanting to do this ever since the day I met you, do you remember?"
Perry recalled, "I remember, I wasn't ready."
Katy Perry frequently changes up her hair color.
The sides of her hair were shaved into a buzz cut while leaving length on top. Just after revealing the look, Perry opted for a complete pixie cut.
In June 2017, Perry livestreamed her life to promote her album Witness. During the event, she opened up about her hair transformation. "People talk about my hair, right? And they don't like it, or they wish that it was longer. I so badly want to be Katheryn Hudson [Katy's real name] that I don't even want to look like Katy Perry anymore sometimes, and that is a little bit of why I cut my hair," she told therapist Siri Sat Nam Singh.
Katy Perry admitted the cut symbolized her desire to reconnect with her true self.
Two months later, Perry spoke with Byrdie about her evolving perspective on beauty without her long locks.
"Now, I can't hide behind it. I wanted to know that I could still feel beautiful and love myself without it," she stated in August 2017. "It's fun, it's freeing, it's liberating, and I don't think that 'sexiness' and 'femininity' is just one thing — long hair. I suppose the goal is to redefine what femininity means to me."
