Molly Ringwald's Best Hair Looks From Her '80s Heyday & Beyond

In the 1980s, there was no one cooler than Molly Ringwald. As Samantha Baker in 1984's "Sixteen Candles," Claire Standish in 1985's "The Breakfast Club," and Andie Walsh in 1986's "Pretty in Pink," Ringwald and her fiery red hair defined a generation. Her character Andie was shunned because of her social status, yet her DIY pink prom dress will forever be one of the greatest rom-com outfits to recreate for your main character moment, speaking volumes to the impact the actor's look has had on pop culture. It's something for which we can thank the late writer and director John Hughes, who was inspired to write "Sixteen Candles" for Ringwald to star in after he saw her headshot.

Interestingly, though Ringwald's red hair is part of what made her so memorable, it wasn't her natural color. The star told Allure in 2018 that she made the choice to lighten her naturally auburn tresses after seeing a performer with vibrant red hair. "I thought, I want to look like that. I am going to look like that," she told the publication. That choice proved to work out in Ringwald's favor, as she is now regarded as one of the most iconic redhead stars of all time. 

That said, while the actor will always be associated with her fiery hair, over the years she hasn't been afraid to experiment. From going platinum blond to embracing a pixie, Ringwald has tried it all. With each reinvention, she's looked gorgeous.

In November 1985, Molly Ringwald attended the Fashion Aid benefit at the Palladium in New York City with Dweezil Zappa, Moon Unit Zappa, and Donovan Leitch. Because the 1980s were all about making your hair as big as possible with a hairdryer and a whole boatload of Aqua Net hairspray, it seems fitting Ringwald went with the style of the time, rocking a head of perfectly teased hair in a dramatic side part. In clearly knowing that red lipstick is always a good idea, Ringwald completed her look with a fantastic bold lip.

As much as the 1980s were about big hair on people of all genders, when Molly Ringwald took the role of "princess" Claire Standish in 1985's "The Breakfast Club," she kept things prim and proper. In contrast to Ally Sheedy's character Allison, the shy loner of the group, Ringwald's rom-com bob (aka the movie star way to do short hair) with side-swept bangs and flipped ends was meant to set her worlds apart from Sheedy. And it did, so much so that during the movie, Ringwald's character gave Sheedy's character a makeover to look more like her.

Not only was the bob cut iconic for the era, it remains a style that complements super curly hair.Molly Ringwald proved that when she attended the Academy Awards in March 1986, swapping the usual swooshy look to let her natural red ringlets have a high-volume moment. "Instead of chasing perfect definition, curls and waves were a huge flex in their raw, organic state, typically amplified with a 'bigger is better' attitude," hairstylist Dusty Schlabach told Allure in October 2025, regarding '80s hair. "[It] was about freedom, individuality, and the confidence that came with letting your hair take up space."

Throughout Hollywood history, there have been a handful of actors who've cut their hair to achieve pixie cut status. While Mia Farrow and Winona Ryder might be the first to come to mind, Molly Ringwald is also on the list, chopping her locks for a role in the short-lived series "Townies." Ringwald's cropped 'do is especially striking because of its color, making it all the inspo you need for a punk pixie cut.

Two years later, Molly Ringwald was spotted at the 1998 premiere of "Life Is Beautiful" with an ultra-short, auburn bob and blunt bangs. Although one could assume this style was simply the result of the actor growing out her pixie cut, it seems it was also foreshadowing her later role as fictional 1930s singer Sally Bowles in the revival of "Cabaret" on Broadway.

While the 1980s may have been about letting your curls fly in all directions, by the time the early 2000s rolled around, curls were more controlled. When Molly Ringwald attended the 2005 MTV Movie Awards, she elevated her chin-length bob with her signature spirals, giving it a fantastic texture. Although Ringwald probably had a team doing her hair, you can achieve DIY spiral curls overnight with flexi rods.

If you've followed Molly Ringwald over the years, you've probably noticed she rarely has hair past her chin. However, when she attended the 82^nd Academy Awards in 2010, she brought some major diva energy with a breathtaking sleek, straightened lob that grazed her shoulders. If that weren't enough, she wore a deep-violet gown with eye makeup that perfectly matched and made her red hue pop. While Ringwald, unlike some celebrities, hasn't really changed much, this was one of the first times that we had to do a double-take, making her one of the '80s child stars who became practically unrecognizable — in a good way, of course.

In 2013, Molly Ringwald again gave the pixie cut a try. But this time around, she did the unthinkable for her fans: She went blond, as seen at a December launch in Los Angeles, California. Interestingly, in a 1985 interview with Interview Magazine that was republished in 2012, Ringwald talked about how she liked to change her hair color. "I started dying it every different color. Black. Dark brown. Kind of blond — I've never gone full-on platinum blonde, which I've always kind of wanted to do," Ringwald told the outlet. It may have taken almost 30 years, and while this golden shade wasn't quite platinum, it definitely looked fabulous on her.

When it comes to flattering bob haircuts for women in their 40s, a sleek, blunt bob with a middle part will always look good. In September 2021, Molly Ringwald showed this cool, low-maintenance look works just as well in your 50s when she rocked it at opening night of "The Tragedy of Macbeth" during the New York Film Festival. Between her choice of the champagne-colored outfit and the minimal, barely-there makeup, Ringwald's sandy-toned hair showcased a new era for the actor.

After years of experimenting with various colors, Ringwald came back to her famous red hair in the mid 2020s, and we love that for her. "I always felt like I really should be a blond but I know I look better with red hair. I just have to face it" she told Harper's Bazaar on TikTok. However, this time around, she brought a total change in style to her red look. Rather than wearing high volume curls or a sleek bob, her tresses were styled with split bangs and sophisticated, loose waves that went past her shoulders — a far cry from the quirky spirals seen in her '80s looks.