Home • Beauty

A Look Back At Erykah Badu’s Most Iconic Beauty Looks

From her intrinsic ‘90s head wraps to experimental foil fringe cut in 2019, take a look at the artist’s best beauty looks of all time to celebrate her birthday.
Erykah Badu’s Most Iconic Beauty Looks
Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images
By India Espy-Jones ·
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready…

Erykah Badu is in a genre of her own (and she’s sensitive about her sh—). From her debut album Baduizm– which won the artist her first two Grammy Awards in 1998– to her latest single Next To You, Badu birthed musical compositions that ring in our ears like the bells strapped to her ankles. She is a musician, and according to herself, a “UNICORN Mutant Cobra jumpin’ time lines” which represents the intuitive taste of her now 55-year-old lifeline. She is a force, not only of sound but beauty: From her head wraps, long beaded braids ,and tuning fork grills to her stained fingertips and custom hairpieces to complement indescribable inspiration.

At the start of her career in the ‘90s, Badu became the mother of intrinsic beauty—like with her cloudy yellow eyeshadow and string-seamed head wrap at the 12th Annual Soul Train Awards as she cradled her four trophies. For the 2000’s ESSENCE Awards, the artist appeared in one of our favorite looks: Twiggy-esque eyelashes, gold eyeshadow and thick locs, before shaving her head bald the following year (cue the 15th Soul Train Awards). Her ethereal mood continued to radiate through her hairstyles. Knee-long, bobby-pinned micro-braids at the BET Telethon Relief and ‘60s pin curls at Dave Chapelle’s Block Party in 2006.

As time went on, her looks became more experimental. For example, her blonde bowl-cut shocked the audience at the 2010 Cypress Hill Smokeout Music Festival. Meanwhile, she arrived to the 2013 BET Awards with faux Strawberry Shortcake freckles. And then, at the 2017 Fashion Awards, she showed off her African hair threading with shaved brows and a tooth chain. As for the past few years, her looks have grown even more grand. Think: her metallic foil fringe hairdo at 2019’s Way Out West Festival or literally any of her front row fashion week looks. And, we’d be remiss to leave out her viral booty suit at the 2025 Billboard Women in Music Awards.

Below, celebrate Erykah Badu’s 55th birthday today with her most iconic beauty looks of all time.

TOPICS: