Sarah Pidgeon Is Unrecognizable In Pics Before Carolyn Bessette Kennedy Hair Transformation

Sarah Pidgeon was cast to play Caroline Bessette in FX's "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" alongside Paul Anthony Kelly as John F. Kennedy Jr., and has absolutely rocked the blond hair transformation. Indeed, Pidgeon looks so convincing with the buttery-blond shade that was so signature to Bessette that it's hard to believe it's not her natural hair color. In fact, Pidgeon is naturally a brunette, and up until this role, tended to favor her natural hue. But there's no denying that she's made for blond hair.

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While Pidgeon looks sultry and mysterious with her natural brown locks, her blond hair brings a lightness and radiance to her overall look. This was a bit of a shocking discovery, since old beauty adages tend to claim that one's natural hair color is the most flattering on a person. Pidgeon is a valuable case study in learning that this isn't always true, and social media buzzed about this larger conversation when discussing Pidgeon's blond hair. "My natural color was never me. I've been dying my hair red for over [a] decade. That's me," someone commented on Instagram, sharing their personal experience. "I'm a personal stylist and color analyst and I do think that your natural hair color almost always looks best. However, there are some rare women who look good in a variety of hair colors. Madonna, Lana Del Rey, and Sarah Pidgeon all fall into this category," another wrote. Others were in agreement that the blond suited Pidgeon.

The fact that Sarah Pidgeon has kept her hair blond, even after "Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette" wrapped, indicates that she probably likes her new color. Plus, the process of transforming Pidgeon's hair from brunette to blond was no joke. Pidgeon arrived on set with a brunette bob that had also been dyed darker. "Going from dark brown to [blond] is always a journey," colorist Kari Hill, who dyed Pidgeon's hair for the part, told Vogue. "The transformation took approximately 18 hours in total, spread over two days to ensure the health and integrity of Sarah's hair throughout the process." It took three stylists to get her hair the right shade of blond, along with tens of thousands of dollars' worth of products, including natural hair extensions. Bessette was also famous for her chunky highlights, a hair trend that's still sought after, and this was an added challenge, but one that the stylists were able to achieve. 

While this shade of blond was made for Pidgeon, it's a testament to her charm that she can pull off either shade, and she's certainly among the ranks of celebrities who can pull off dark and light hair colors flawlessly. And while there are a ton of hair colors to pump up a basic brunette, making brown hair richer, there's something about Pidgeon as a blond that makes the light shade so appealing.