What Is Ivanka Trump Trying to Tell Us By Going Blonder?

Most politicians who sign on for a job at the White House go gray after a few years. But not Ivanka Trump. Instead, she's gone blonder.

After combing through images of Ivanka campaigning alongside her father ahead of last week's midterm elections, it became evident that her honey-colored highlights have slowly but surely taken on a more icy tone since she first entered the political fray back in 2016. Think less Taylor Swift, and more Megyn Kelly.

“The blonde, blonder, blondest progression of Ivanka’s hair color is not an uncommon one,” says Kyle White, a celebrity colorist at Oscar Blandi salon who once worked with the First Daughter. (White does not currently color her hair.)

He notes that Ivanka’s slow and subtle transition to a cooler blonde shade is a common one he’s witnessed in clients as they ascend to power. “Carolyn Besset going platinum when she married John Kennedy Jr. comes to mind,” he said.

One reason it indicates power? The upkeep.

“The maintenance level is so much higher with these types of blondes, which is a status symbol in and of itself, that you can afford the time and expense uber blonde shades require,” he says. "Strong color like a solid cool blonde tells the world you’re a strong woman with strong opinions."

Before she began the slow fade into platinum territory, Ivanka was already fitting right in among the other blonde Trumpian talking heads like Ann Coulter, Laura Ingraham and Kellyanne Conway. But the cooler tones in Ivanka's new hair definitely help her stand out from the pack of Fox News contributors, whose tones tend to be more of "a matronly blonde, a suburban soccer mom who makes sure everyone buckles up in the backseat of the minivan," according to Amy Larocca at The Cut, who wrote a piece in 2017 on "The Politics of Blondness." She adds that the warmer, safer color "is a reminder, perhaps, of what many Americans feel is truly at stake in a newly global world."

So we wonder, why would Ivanka up the ante with a brighter hue? Is her image overhaul part of long game political aspirations?

Her father did briefly test the waters by name dropping Ivanka as a possible replacement for outgoing U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley; however, he quickly walked back the suggestion because "I’d be accused of nepotism." Ivanka also tweeted that she would not replace Haley, but perhaps she has 2020 in her sights. She is, after all, one of the few staffers who's remained employed since the beginning of her father's campaign.

One thing's for sure: As Melania has dipped out of the spotlight, choosing not to campaign alongside her husband ahead of the midterm elections (she "dislikes" politics, according to a new report from the New York Times), Ivanka has stepped forward without hesitation to fill FLOTUS's void.

As any woman who's ever gotten bangs can tell you, a major hair change can often reflects an internal personal change. However, whether Ivanka is angling for more power in the Trump White House by putting forth an attention-grabbing, powerful image, or she's simply feeling a bit icier these days, remains to be seen.

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