In my opinion option A) ages her a bit (I expect to see her mother with this hairstyle), C) on the other hand reminds me of the young Sophia with straight hair and bangs we saw in the last update.
Maybe in this light, option B), being the closest to Sophia's current hairstyle, is also the best.
Should we, sooner or later, also expect a color change?
Based on the stereotypes of cheap psychology (women change their haircuts when they change their lives, blondes have more fun) that govern the adult VN world (which AWAM does not seem to escape at all) I would say yes. It would be perfectly in line with the recent changes (and related future developments) in Sophia's life. And then for her it would be a revealing return to her youth (which seems to be increasingly a recurring theme in the various game paths).
He will only add the animation bar if the event has animation now instead of if he falls behind on the animation.
So, unless he changes his mind again, If you don't see an animation bar at the start of the new update cycle, then the event will contain no animations.