Taylor Swift has always, always, always been blonde. Though the shade has changed a few times since she hit the scene with “Tim McGraw” in 2006, Swift has always remained firmly in the blonde world… except in her music videos, of course! That’s where the Life of a Showgirl superstar gets to experiment with different wigs and hair colors, and one shade in particular seems to be a favorite: dark brunette. She’s worn the shade a few times before, including as the snobby cheerleader alter ego in the “You Belong With Me” video and the dreamy vintage “Wildest Dreams” video, but for her latest vid, “Opalite,” Swift gave her fave onscreen hair color an early ’90s twist.
In the video, which costars Domhhall Gleason and includes a few surprise cameos from other celebs (blink and you’ll miss Paul Mescal and Jodie Turner-Smith!), Swift plays a lonely woman living in a very Napoleon Dynamite-esque world, straight out of 1991. In place of her signature dark blonde hair, the singer wears a mid-length, softly waved bob in a chocolate brown color, helping establish that this is not Taylor Alison Swift we’re watching… or is it?
Once she meets Gleason’s equally lonely character, her life starts to sparkle with hope and joy, just like the titular opalite, and so does her entire vibe, which is conveyed through costumes and playful hair and makeup details. She wears her hair in a variety of ‘90s classic styles, like butterfly clips pinned on either side when she goes out for the evening trying to make a friend; a perky half-up style that would be right at home in The Babysitter’s Club while posing for studio pics in matching vests with Gleason; pigtail braids for a dance sequence; and, of course, a claw clip for a casual day out at the mall. It’s the perfect dose of nostalgia, and the brown wig makes it feel so authentically ’90s. I am yearning to visit a retro Pizza Hut after watching this video.
The video is only available on Spotify Premium and Apple Music right now, but it hits YouTube in a few days. I highly doubt Swift will ever actually dye her hair this dark, but I see why she always returns to it in her videos—it brings out a whole new side of Swift.