Just as we were getting used to Ariel Winter‘s fiery new look, she’s back to black! The actress, 21, debuted her mermaid-esque hair in May, and while she had reportedly been hoping to keep the strawberry shade for the final season of Modern Family, she returned to her previous darker shade. Her book-smart character Alex Dunphy, who Winter has played since the series’ premiere in 2009, has always sported Ariel’s natural black, straight hair.
Ariel’s reverse dye job was revealed via Instagram posts from Modern Family‘s first season 11 table read on Wednesday, July 31st — which also happens to be her co-star Rico Rodriguez‘s 21st birthday. In the group photo posted by co-star Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Winter’s hair, which falls past her shoulders and is parted in the center, is noticeably back to its usual dark color.
The strawberry hue has been a hit on social media — even leading to a promotional campaign for Ulta Blowout Bar — and reportedly took an entire day at Los Angeles’ Nine Zero One Salon to get the shade just right. As a source previously EXCLUSIVELY told HollywoodLife, “Ariel loves her hair color so much right now…she [wanted] to keep it.” Quoting the iconic song “Part Of Your World,” Ariel hinted that her new look was inspired by The Little Mermaid in her original photo from May 3. Several fans even noted that she was giving them serious “Julia Roberts vibes.”
Her older sister, Shanelle Gray, 40, appears to be a fan of her sibling’s red hair — commenting with the “🔥” emoji on Ariel’s recent photos. In a photo from last week with her lighter hair, Ariel also revealed that she’s “filming something new that I’m really excited about,” leading fans to wonder if the new look was just for fun or for a new role.
The final season of Modern Family premieres on September 25 and production is expected to go until Spring of 2020 – meaning she likely has to stick with the black hair until then. Check out Ariel’s darker look in the photo above!