Fashion

Kelly Ripa Goes Pink... With Her Hair

Whoa! There is nothing subtle about Kelly Ripa's bright pink hair, which looks amazing! The perky morning talk show host is known for her blonde locks, but she totally threw me and, well, the world for a loop by going with a bright pink 'do, adding a jolt of punchy color to her wavy lob.

This color change might be shocking to those who only know Ripa for her work on her AM gabfest, Live! With Kelly and Michael, or for her sass, like asking her pal Anderson Cooper if he'd rather date her or her hubby, but it's not shocking to me.

I, and surely plenty of other longtime fans, remember when Ripa got her start in the soaps. She first turned up as Hayley Vaughn on All My Children , a character that was a gothy rebel before "goth" was a fashion buzzword. She had black hair and wore super dark lipstick with pale, porcelain skin, so I have seen Ripa with an extreme, bold look before.

That said, I've been used to Ripa as a blonde for so long now that this was a wonderful surprise. It's not soft. It's not delicate. It's in your face and I love it, especially since the color is not solid and has shades of pink woven throughout.

It is seriously gorgeous! Hooray for Ripa for not settling on a pale, whisper-pink shade.

Ripa's face and eyes are largely shielded from view, but you can appreciate the full scope and richness of the color in this pic.

Her stylist shared this sideview snap, where you can see Ripa's texture, waves, and the way the color is so, so expertly blended.

VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

Ripa is 44, but age ain't nothing but a number when you have pink hair. It's like an instant boost of youth and exuberance. The TV queen is so working this look. I don't want her to change it, even though the above white-blonde shade looks killer on her, too.

Images: Kelly Ripa/Instagram (1); Ryan Trygstad/Instagram (1); Getty (2)