Before & After Pics Of Diana Ross' Gorgeous Evolution Since Her '60s Breakthrough
It is very possible that if Diana Ross and her group, 1960s Motown girl group The Supremes, hadn't made it, she would've ended up as a beautician. Of course, her unbelievable talent got her through in the end, but prior to The Supremes making it big, frontwoman Ross went to cosmetology school. From "before" pics of the singer from 1962, it's clear that her beauty game was already strong and carefully refined. But looking at "after" photos of her at the Met Gala in May 2025, we can see that her style evolved into something much more confident and dramatic.
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Through the years, Ross has sampled several hairstyles and colors that have been as varied as her changing wardrobe. Fashion-wise, she began in the '60s with elegant, carefully curated costumes that matched those of her bandmates, before transitioning to high-glam satin and sequins by the '70s and '80s. By the latter decade, she had established her go-to loud look full of statement-making pieces, becoming a celeb that never misses with their signature style in terms of both her wardrobe and her hair. The mega-volume and flowing curls became her style du jour, almost suggesting that she sampled all the aesthetics on offer and the maximalist diva-like image was the one that she felt most herself in.
Her gorgeous bold makeup has come to equal the drama of her hair and wardrobe over the years, with full faux lashes, a strong eyebrow game, and colors galore, including pink eyeshadow and draped sunrise blush. The icon, who turned 82 in 2026, shows no signs of letting her style game slide, and such devotion to her craft deserves our accolades.
Bringing the drama was a huge part of Diana Ross' glow-up
Just like Dolly Parton's hair transformation through the years, Diana Ross' statement hairstyles have become iconic and instantly recognizable, marking a huge part of her evolution since the 1960s — even if they aren't always exclusively her own hair. Ross has admitted to using wigs and hair pieces throughout her career, from her debut as a Supreme through her gorgeous decades-long beauty transformation.
Though voluminous curls may be her signature style, a few of her hair accessory moments have become iconic in their own right, further establishing her love for drama and maximalism in her looks. First there were the flowers she wore in one 1973 pic; she started wearing them in this era as an ode to Billie Holiday, but they still feel fresh for cottagecore hairstyles to complete your dreamy looks in the 2020s. Then there was the fishnet hair wrap she wore in 1982, which showed that she was continuing on her path to high-glam style moments fit for a true diva.
This is the type of '70s and '80s boldness that still translates today and would look oh-so-chic on a fashion-forward trendsetter in the 2020s. When we look at before-and-after photos of Diana Ross throughout her career and analyze the way she's evolved into a statement-maker, it's clear that the majority of her beauty moments would still be on-point today.