Marie Antoinette — Hair Up To There

Kim Kardashian's platinum-blonde hair | Portrait of Marie Antoinette by Louise Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1783

When Kim Kardashian dyed her hair platinum blonde a few weeks back, it seemed like everyone had an opinion on the matter. Memes were created, think pieces were written, and fashion police, official and self-appointed, made judgment calls. The moment Kim stepped out in Paris with her white-blonde locks the world was atwitter (on Twitter), but let’s face it: Kim’s testing the hypothesis of whether or not blondes have more fun wasn't going to start any wars or plummet the economy.

But what if it had?

What if Kim Kardashian’s hair choice changed the political landscape of America? What if public outcry for her unnatural color created actual, palpable change in the economy or in government? To even imagine such a world is a ridiculous task, and one can't help but laugh at the idea. But a little over two hundred years ago, one daring hairstyle could hold a lot of political power.

Just ask Marie Antoinette. You probably know the girl from her unfortunate role in the French Revolution (you know, where the people shouted “Off with her head!” and the French monarchy all had not-so-good dates with the guillotine) or the dreamy reimagining of her life in a Sofia Coppola film. As an important figure of the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette is someone you either love or you hate. A figurehead of the frivolities of the absolutist French monarchy, Antoinette was known for her daring style and her preference for the finer things in life. She was also the subject of many a political scandal, and much was gossiped about her and her lifestyle. If you think modern-day gossip rags are ridiculous, you won't believe how outrageous some of the rumors about Marie Antoinette were.

What does this have to do with her hairstyle, you may be asking? You'd be surprised just how seriously people took coiffures back in the day.

A Lasting Reign — Marie Antoinette's Influences on 21st Century Style

Wildfox Couture Fall 2014 Ad Campaign channelling Marie Antoinette

Over two hundred years since her death and Marie Antoinette is as popular as ever—perhaps even more so than when she was alive.

Why is it that we are still obsessed with her? Did Sofia Coppola’s dreamy biopic ask the world to look at Marie Antoinette through rose-colored glasses? Is rococo just back in style? Or is there something about Marie Antoinette—her style, her biography, her personality—that appeals to the modern woman?

First, let’s look back at some of the most memorable Marie Antoinette-inspired fashion moments of the twenty-first century so far.