Real Housewives of New York City star Brynn Whitfield unveiled a dramatic — and possibly temporary — hair transformation at the New York City Ballet Gala on Thursday, October 5.
The 36-year-old TV personality arrived at the event — which was also attended by Andy Cohen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Naomi Watts and more — rocking a bouncy lob and a figure-flattering yellow floral gown. Her reddish-brown mane, which stopped right at her shoulders, was parted to the side and featured voluminous curls. The makeover appears to be an illusion, however. It seems as though Whitfield had her long locks pinned into the style, making it look as though she got a big chop.
Ahead of the event, Whitfield documented her get-ready process, which included two trips to the Bumble and Bumble hair salon in the Big Apple. In clips shared via her Instagram Story, Whitfield could be seen getting a blowout before returning to the salon for a “second hair appointment.” The reality star didn’t give Us a peek at what was done to her strands during the follow-up visit.
Whitfield’s hair was briefly a focal point of season 14 of RHONY, which stars a completely new cast including Whitfield, Jenna Lyons, Sai De Silva, Ubah Hassan, Erin Lichy and Jessel Taank. In episode 4, Whitfield — who is biracial — opened up about being raised by her white grandmother and how that impacted the Bravo star’s relationship with her hair.
“My poor grandma didn’t know how to figure it out,” Whitfield shared while receiving a hair treatment. “I would go to school, and the kids would make fun of me because I went to an all-white school in Indiana.”
She explained in a confessional interview, “My mom’s mom raised me. My mom’s white, my dad’s Black. My father, his family, never in the picture, so I definitely missed out on, I think, having the support and exposure to a strong black community.”
Whitfield went on to share that one of her grandmother’s close friends, a Black woman, told her about a salon called Black hair salon called Bradley’s. “Basically every week, grandma would drop me off at Bradley’s in the morning, and then my little ass would stay there all day,” Whitfield recalled.
“It was important,” Whitfield said. “It was my only exposure to the Black community, to Black women, and I saw, like, how beautiful Black women were, how strong they were, how funny they were, and doing that literally every weekend for a decade — I thank God for it.”
