Britney Spears got a glamorous makeover from celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton – and fans think she looks completely unrecognizable in the Instagram pic!
Appleton, who counts Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez among his loyal A-list clients, shared a picture of the “Toxic” singer on June 1st with his 4M Instagram followers, predictably sending both his and Britney’s fans into a complete frenzy!
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Chris Appleton Shows Off Britney Spears' Hair Transformation On Instagram
The "Gimme More" singer, 44, could be seen standing behind Appleton wearing a red floral dress while holding several hot hair tools, showing off a sleek, poker-straight hairstyle. She sticks her tongue out playfully in the shot while he poses facing the camera.
The 42-year-old hairstylist previously revealed in 2025 that it was a dream of his to one day work with the "Baby One More Time" icon, making this apparent collaboration a full-circle moment for him. (We say apparent because there is some speculation about the authenticity of the photo, but more on that down below…)
He captioned the post: "As a kid growing up in England, Britney Spears was the soundtrack to so many moments. Never in a million years did I think I'd one day be standing behind the chair (or in this case her standing behind mine, lol) styling her hair."
He added: "Some moments really do come full circle. She is not only an icon, but one of the most genuinely kind and gentle souls I've ever met."
Fan Comments
Fans were predictably beside themselves with excitement over the image, with many calling it a positive sign for the singer's well-being following what she has been through in recent years, including this year's DUI and a reported rehab stint.
Others, however, questioned the authenticity of Appleton's image, with some suggesting it may not be recent, and others speculating it was AI-generated. However, Appleton's comments from 2025 about wanting to work with Spears in the future would appear to suggest the collaboration is relatively recent, while other fans have pointed out that someone with such high-profile clients very likely wouldn't fake an image like this. So, until someone tells us otherwise, we're going to believe this is real!
Some of the confusion may also stem from the mom-of-two's own Instagram posts, as she has recently shared videos showing a noticeably different appearance and hairstyle. (See above for two examples.) That said, the "Piece of Me" hitmaker is known to occasionally post archived footage, making it difficult to determine exactly when some of her videos were recorded.
Kim Kardashian posted two heart-with-arrow emojis in the comments, while Selling Sunset star Chrishell Stause said: "This is what the world needs." Paris Hilton dropped a single heart-eyes emoji. "The world is healing," one fan wrote, followed by the twinkling stars emoji, while a second said: "In Chris we trust." A third exclaimed: "Finally something that made me smile on my feed!"
"It's so good to see Britney taking care of herself. We love you queen," a fourth fan raved, followed by a red heart emoji. "And she looks amazing, I'm glad you took care of her hair," praised a fifth, while a sixth declared: "She looks so good." "Britney looks like Britney," noted a seventh, followed by crying and red heart emojis, as an eighth added: "I've literally prayed for this."
There were, however, some more skeptical reactions. A ninth thought the Woman in Me author looked "unrecognizable," while a tenth exclaimed: "That's not Britney!" "Yeahhhh... that's not Brittney," added an eleventh in agreement. A twelfth thought: "It's an old photo," followed by three crying-laughing emojis, while a thirteenth agreed, asking: "How old is this pic?" A fourteenth suggested the image was "AI," as did many others.
