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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Maira Butt

Reba McEntire debuts new hairdo in midst of chaotic US election: ‘Reba, not now’

While Americans were making their way to the ballot box for a historic election day and Brits were celebrating Bonfire Night, country singer Reba McEntire was focused on more pressing issues.

The country singer, 69, announced a big change in hairstyle and the celebration of National Redhead Day.

“Long or short, either way I love being a redhead! #NationalRedheadDay” she wrote in a post both on Instagram and X/Twitter, sharing a before and after of her hair.

Fans of the musician noted the incongruity of her post, arriving during the much-talked about election.

The US has endured a chaotic and highly polarised election day in which the US voted to elect either Republican Donald Trump or Democrat Kamala Harris.

As celebrities reacted to the news that former president Trump was elected again to the office of president, fans asked McEntire to “read the room”.

“Love it god mother we’ll talk about it tomorrow,” wrote one person in the comments.

Another added, “Reba, you know what we’re not going to do today? We’re not going to talk about your hairstyle.”

One person was lest diplomatic, commenting, “Reba this is not the f***ing time!”

“Ma’am … not today,” wrote one social media user, shortly.

McEntire, sometimes dubbed the “Queen of Country”, rose to fame among a younger generation after her song “I’m A Survivor”, went viral on TikTok.

Song lyrics such as, “A single mom who works two jobs, who loves her kids and never stops,” were included in thousands of social media videos alongside jokes of people struggling with small everyday tasks, accruing millions of views.

On Wednesday (6 November) Trump declared victory after sweeping three of the most crucial states following an evenful election day; his official victory was announced shortly thereafter.

McEntire unveiled the new hair do on Tuesday (Twitter/Reba)

As some stars remained controversially tight-lipped about who they were voting for, many celebrities shared their endorsements for Kamala Harris, with a flurry of people, including Harrison Ford, Jennifer Aniston and Arnold Schwarzenegger, speaking out in favour of Trump’s rival in the last few weeks.

McEntire has had a complex history with her hair. Known for her thick and voluminous red locks, she surprised fans by debuting a shorter style earlier this year. It appears from the new pictures that she has now gone even shorter.

Others appreciated the singer and actor’s focus on matters outside of politics, with one person quipping: “I kind of like how everyone is on edge about the election and tweeting only about it while Reba’s over here like ‘What do you think of my hair?’”

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