Natalia top

Despite being prosecutor general of a country more than eight thousand miles away and not, in fact, a scantily clad pop star desperately seeking fame, Crimea’s Natalia Poklonskaya has achieved near-celebrity status here in Japan. Since rocketing to fame in March this year, legions of admirers have dedicated hours to studying the young lawyer’s “angel-like” face, creating anime-style drawings of her and day-dreaming about being interrogated by her in a room with no windows.

Late last week, however, the formerly blonde Poklonskaya appeared at a State Council meeting with her hair tied back and noticeably darker. As you might imagine, this minor cosmetic change caused quite a stir here in Japan and quickly resulted in a debate over which look suited Poklonskaya best, with some online commenters seemingly confused not just about which of the two is her natural colour, but whether a natural blonde would ever go darker of their own volition.

The now 34-year-old Poklonskaya became a figure of much adoration earlier this year when net users in Japan and China caught sight of her speaking at a press conference and were taken aback by her natural good looks and warm smile, not to mention the fact that dressed in her spotless uniform she looked just like a character from some military-themed anime or video game. Barely a week later, Poklonskaya had a fan art-filled Wikipedia entry of her own and had unwittingly become the focus of tremendous media attention.

Poklonskaya’s new, darker look, however, has become the subject of much debate this week here in Japan, with some netizens seemingly confused about the change. Was she actually a brunette to begin with? Did she dye her hair from blonde to brown? Is that even possible!? Clearly a discussion was in order.

▼ Poklonskaya’s old look

natalia then

▼ New look

Natalia now

Some of the comments made by Japanese net users include:

“She looked better before.”

“Change it back!!!”

“It’s really nothing to make a fuss about…”

“Did she cut it? Dye it? Is that her natural colour!?”

“Keep!”

“She looks better after the image change.”

“Hey, so long as you have a good base to build on, any change works.”

“She’s still cute either way.”

Others, meanwhile, seemed baffled by the very idea of a blonde turning brunette.

“There’s no such thing as a blonde Caucasian who dyes their hair brown LOL She just dyed it blonde and now it’s gone back to the way it was.”

“It seems that there are lots of white people who colour their hair blonde. The idea that ‘Caucasians = blonde’ is a misconception that dates back to the Showa Period.”

“Really blonde blondes often colour their hair.”

“Natural blondes are few and far between. If you look at their eyebrows you can tell their natural colour.”

“There are lots of people with blonde hair who dye it black or brown, you know…”

We sincerely hope that the person suggesting that blondes who go darker simply don’t exist was kidding, but then with so many Japanese viewing fair hair as a thing of great beauty, it’s unsurprising that some would find the very idea of a woman intentionally losing her golden locks unthinkable.

Thankfully, Poklonskaya herself, who previously went on record to say that she’s “too busy to pay attention” to her online admirers’ comments, probably couldn’t care less whether her fans prefer her with brown or blonde hair, and will be continuing with business as usual.

But just so you know, Natalia, we at RocketNews24 think you look great either way. If you’re ever in town, don’t hesitate to stop by the office for a cup of green tea and a Kit Kat.

Source/images via: Alfaalfa Mosaic