Hollywood’s 25 Most Memorable Boss Hairstyles
Who runs the world? Boss ladies from Murphy Brown to Leslie Knope. We’ve pulled together 25 women from TV and movies whose onscreen presence defines what it means to be a boss, and what it means to have boss hair. Whether it’s the long, luxurious hair of principal Tami Taylor, the rambunctious curls of Joan Clayton, or Mindy Lahiri’s fishtail braid, these strong women prove that when it comes to ruling in the workplace, it’s the woman who makes the hair — and not the other way around.
Tess McGill in
Working Girl She said it best herself: "I have a head for business and a body for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?&qu...
Tess McGill in
Working Girl She said it best herself: "I have a head for business and a body for sin. Is there anything wrong with that?"
Photo: ©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett C/©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett Collection
Cookie in
Empire Her determined glamour waves show that she's here to get what's hers, while remaining true to herself.
Photo: FOX/2015...
Cookie in
Empire Her determined glamour waves show that she's here to get what's hers, while remaining true to herself.
Photo: FOX/2015 FOX
Murphy Brown A tough, talented female TV journalist whose perfect anchorwoman hairdo hid the slightest bit of vulnerability (which she showed onl...
Murphy Brown A tough, talented female TV journalist whose perfect anchorwoman hairdo hid the slightest bit of vulnerability (which she showed only off-camera, of course).
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection/Courtesy Everett Collection
Khadijah James in
Living Single Queen Latifah's Khadijah James proved that boss hair can be anything from braids to blowouts to b...
Khadijah James in
Living Single Queen Latifah's Khadijah James proved that boss hair can be anything from braids to blowouts to bobs, and that you wear the hair, the hair doesn't wear you.
Photo: ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett C/©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection
Angela Bower in
She's the Boss Who's the boss? A woman who can make feathery bangs into a "Don't mess with me" boss hairstyle and put ...
Angela Bower in
She's the Boss Who's the boss? A woman who can make feathery bangs into a "Don't mess with me" boss hairstyle and put Tony in his place.
Photo: ©Columbia Tristar/Courtesy Ever/©Columbia Tristar/Courtesy Everett Collection
Joan Clayton in
Girlfriends Fifteen years ago, Tracee Ellis Ross's Joan Clayton received praise for bringing natural hair to the board...
Joan Clayton in
Girlfriends Fifteen years ago, Tracee Ellis Ross's Joan Clayton received praise for bringing natural hair to the boardroom.
Photo: RON TOM/Copyright © ©Paramount Television / Everett Collection
Miranda Priestly in
The Devil Wears Prada Taking inspiration from real-life boss lady Anna Wintour, Miranda Priestly's platinum cropped cut is e...
Miranda Priestly in
The Devil Wears Prada Taking inspiration from real-life boss lady Anna Wintour, Miranda Priestly's platinum cropped cut is every bit as unflappable and steadfast as she is.
Photo: Rights Managed/Photo by: Mary Evans
Mellie Grant in
Scandal Her hair actually is this big because it's full of the White House's secrets, not to mention the stress of always holdin...
Mellie Grant in
Scandal Her hair actually is this big because it's full of the White House's secrets, not to mention the stress of always holding it together.
Photo: Nicole Wilder/2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc
Aunt Vivian in
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air For the first three seasons, Aunt Vivian (played by Janet Hubert-Whitten) paired her Ph.D. power...
Aunt Vivian in
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air For the first three seasons, Aunt Vivian (played by Janet Hubert-Whitten) paired her Ph.D. power suits with coiffed curls.
Photo: NBC/Getty Images
Tami Taylor in
Friday Night Lights Beachy hair, don't care that this isn't a traditional office hairstyle.
Photo: NBC/© NBC Universal, Inc.
Diana Christensen in
Network Christensen's hair was just like her: pretty powerful, and unafraid of being both pretty and powerful.
Phot...
Diana Christensen in
Network Christensen's hair was just like her: pretty powerful, and unafraid of being both pretty and powerful.
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection/Courtesy Everett Collection
Alicia Florrick in
The Good Wife Alicia Florrick's hair reflects who she is: auietly restrained, softly sensual, yet determined enough to leave ...
Alicia Florrick in
The Good Wife Alicia Florrick's hair reflects who she is: auietly restrained, softly sensual, yet determined enough to leave her philandering political husband and start her own law firm.
Photo: CBS Photo Archive/2014 CBS Photo Archive
Annalise Keating in
How to Get Away With Murder Keating's perfect pageboy is part of the steely courtroom armor that she literally sheds when sh...
Annalise Keating in
How to Get Away With Murder Keating's perfect pageboy is part of the steely courtroom armor that she literally sheds when she is at home.
Photo: Mitch Haaseth/2014 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Leslie Knope in
Parks and Recreation The relentlessly bouncy hairstyle of an "absurd idealist" who's the greatest thing to ever happen...
Leslie Knope in
Parks and Recreation The relentlessly bouncy hairstyle of an "absurd idealist" who's the greatest thing to ever happen to Pawnee.
Photo: NBC/2014 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Agent Scully in
The X Files Even the threat of extraterrestrials and roving fluke monsters couldn't raise a hair on Scully's perfectly molded he...
Agent Scully in
The X Files Even the threat of extraterrestrials and roving fluke monsters couldn't raise a hair on Scully's perfectly molded head.
Photo: FOX/2000 FOX
Olivia Pope in
Scandal A chief gladiator and master political fixer understands the optics of having perfectly unruffled hair at all times. ...
Olivia Pope in
Scandal A chief gladiator and master political fixer understands the optics of having perfectly unruffled hair at all times.
Photo: Nicole Wilder/2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc
Designing Women Evidence that boss hair can come in many textures and colors.
Photo: Courtesy Everett Collection
Jan Levinson in
The Office An authoritative style (and glare) that says without words, "Michael, you can't do that."
Photo: Byron Co...
Jan Levinson in
The Office An authoritative style (and glare) that says without words, "Michael, you can't do that."
Photo: Byron Cohen/2012 NBCUniversal, Inc.
Mindy Lahiri in
The Mindy Project Mindy shows that speaking your mind and being confident in your opinions goes with any hairstyle, even a ...
Mindy Lahiri in
The Mindy Project Mindy shows that speaking your mind and being confident in your opinions goes with any hairstyle, even a fishtail braid.
Photo: FOX/2015 FOX
Captain Janeway of
Star Trek Voyager We will know the future is realized when all of us can benefit from the same transport systems that kept Ja...
Captain Janeway of
Star Trek Voyager We will know the future is realized when all of us can benefit from the same transport systems that kept Janeway's hair immaculate.
Photo: Getty Images
Lorelai Gilmore in
Gilmore Girls Give a woman coffee, a steady supply of Luke's cheeseburgers, and a shiny chestnut waterfall of hair, and she c...
Lorelai Gilmore in
Gilmore Girls Give a woman coffee, a steady supply of Luke's cheeseburgers, and a shiny chestnut waterfall of hair, and she can rule the world, or at least open the inn of her dreams.
Photo: Patrick Ecclesine
Miranda Bailey on
Grey's Anatomy Even as a busy general surgeon, Miranda Bailey understands why "doing your hair" sends an i...
Miranda Bailey on
Grey's Anatomy Even as a busy general surgeon, Miranda Bailey understands why "doing your hair" sends an important unspoken message.
Photo: Bob D’Amico/2013 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc.
Diane Lockhart in
The Good Wife Lockhart's classic, curled-in bob is the original O.G. of boss hairstyles, and as old-school as she is.
...
Diane Lockhart in
The Good Wife Lockhart's classic, curled-in bob is the original O.G. of boss hairstyles, and as old-school as she is.
Photo: CBS Photo Archive/2015 CBS Photo Archive
Olivia Benson in
Law and Order: SVU Benson's hair may not look like much: It's not particularly styled or coiffed. But it indicates that she's t...
Olivia Benson in
Law and Order: SVU Benson's hair may not look like much: It's not particularly styled or coiffed. But it indicates that she's too busy solving crimes (and being the second member of Taylor Swift's girl squad) to schedule frequent blowout appointments.
Photo: NBC/2015 NBCUniversal Media, LLC
Liz Lemon in
30 Rock Liz Lemon's hairstyle — a simple, wavy bob — is as no-nonsense as her approach to the writers' room
Photo: ...
Liz Lemon in
30 Rock Liz Lemon's hairstyle — a simple, wavy bob — is as no-nonsense as her approach to the writers' room
Photo: NBC/2012 NBCUnivesal Media, LLC.
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