Amber Rose's 2017 VMAs Look Is the One Thing That Could Actually Shock Us

Amber Rose has made it very clear that she will do whatever she wants with her hair—on her head and everywhere else for that matter—and many of us have been fans of her blond buzz cut since '09. But the normally close-cropped body positivity activist took a decidedly different approach to this year's 2017 VMAs red carpet. While we're all used to Rose speaking her mind and doing exactly as she pleases at all time, this standard glam look (below) is maybe her most shocking yet.

While she looks undeniably gorgeous with sleek, loose dark brown waves—a slightly more coifed and shaped version of these waist-length extensions by celebrity stylist Phillip Riian—I have to admit that my stomach dropped a little bit when I realized that it was not Kelly Dodd from The Real Housewives of O.C.—no shade, Kelly is foxy as hell—but my beloved Amber Rose on the VMAs blue carpet.

Of course, Rose's hair, all of it, anywhere, is all her choice, but she's become such a champion for unconventional beauty and body-positivity that seeing her with high-gloss, standard celebrity hair was a bit of a letdown. She was one of the first celebrities I ever encountered who exuded confidence without long hair. She, in part, inspired me to buzz off most of my own hair. Because of Rose, I didn't feel like less of a woman with my scalp shining in the sun. She's redefined what it means to be a powerful, sexual, dead sexy woman and her definition has never included a long, full head of hair.

That's not to say she hasn't experimented with wigs and extensions before. She didn't emerge from the womb with a blond bombshell buzz cut, but as far as I can tell I wasn't the only one who was taken aback by her VMAs look. In fact, Twitter was pretty divided with critique and praise directed at Rose's long hair look in equal measure.

Seeing folks on the internet performing weird beauty math—Amber Rose is x times more pretty with y length hair—made me feel like a bit of a jerk for having an opinion on her VMAs hair in the first place. Regardless, there's no better place to debut a brand new, out of character look than on an MTV red carpet—even a short stroll down memory lane proves as much.

While it's always equal parts style-inspo and fun to see a celebrity explore a new look, there's something to be said for sticking to an exceptional sense of style. After all, it's not easy to rock a shaved head. And while many gorgeous women in Hollywood have followed suit, Amber Rose's head has always been one of my favorites to see on the red carpet.

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