Cyndi Lauper’s Hairstyles Were Her Way of Fighting Back Across Four Decades

The hairstyles worn by Cyndi Lauper stood as acts of defiance against social norms, as she revealed in a 'Good Morning America' Digital interview. Her partly shaved head in the "Time After Time" video struck back at the strict rules about women's looks.

"Cutting my hair in that way would also be a rebellious act, one culture fighting to move away from a more oppressive culture for women," said Lauper to Good Morning America.

Her "Time After Time" video has gotten 500 million views since its release. The tears shown weren't staged — they came from her real path from sleeping on the streets to stardom. Her old classmates once voted her as "most likely to die."

Each new look matched her musical eras. She picked bright red in 1983. Two years later, she tried painting patterns for "Money Changes Everything." Blue locks twisted into dreadlocks marked her '90s phase. 

Success followed her wild style shifts. She grabbed two GRAMMYs, an Emmy, and a Tony for the "Kinky Boots musical." She also has a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and her She's So Unusual album made history when four songs hit the top five, something that no woman had done before.

She still keeps the music going with her Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour. Twenty-one shows are waiting ahead in North America this summer. She'll also be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this November.

"The hair symbolized a counterculture and rebellion, and that was significantly important to me," Lauper noted during her Good Morning America interview. "If you're going to color your hair, you might as well... color it a color." You can get tickets for her shows from her official website.