Actress Debbie Reynolds once warned her daughter , Carrie Fisher , to be deliberate of purpose that required “ any weird hair style . ” Fortunately Fisher did n’t mind her mother ’s advice , and prefer to asterisk as Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan , a badass diplomat - turned - rebel leader who sports one of the most iconic “ weird coiffure ” in cinematic history .
How did George Lucas come up with Princess Leia ’s buns ?
Well , like a pot of the richStar Warsmythology , he pinch them from somewhere else .
PAGING PANCHO VILLA
In 2002,Lucas toldTIMEMagazine that he was “ form very firmly to produce something different that was n’t fashion , so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look … The rear end are fundamentally from twist - of - the - century Mexico . ”
Which sounds like a well - deliberate explanation — except that finding example of Princess Leia - style buns from twist - of - the - C Mexico on the heads of revolutionaries isreallyhard , asKitbashed ’s Michael Heilemanndiscovered when he began investigating Lucas ’ call .
Traditional Mexican hair style of the clock time run more toward large braid pile atop the head , or the poufy Edwardian flair worn by women all over westerly culture ; Leia ’s buns are big and poufy , but they ’re not especially Edwardian , nor are they at all braids . “ Which if you hold back to think about it for a second , seduce sense , ” write Heilemann . “ When would revolutionaries chance the time to put your hair up in two ridiculous buns , which are impossible , even with mod state - of - the - fine art hairsbreadth ware technology to behave for any length of time , if indeed you manage to tame your hair enough to bet along to commence with . ”
TWO BUNS, ONE STONE
Another possible brainchild for Leia ’s buns , one far more ancient than “ turn - of - the - century Mexico , ” isSpain ’s Lady of Elche . The Lady , carve from delicate limestone , is the bout of a supposed Iberian princess ( or priestess ) some 2,500 years former ; in addition to her intricate necklace , she wears an detailed headgear that looks a bit like the Millennium Falcon stuck to either side of her head . Did Lucas find his inspiration for both the FalconandLeia ’s haircloth in one trip to Madrid ’s National Archaeological Museum ?
SQUASH BLOSSOMS IN BLOOM
A more likely candidate for Lucas ’ intake might be theyoung Native America women of the Hopi nationof the southwest United States ( nearPancho Villa ’s stomping grounds ) , who wore their hair in what were call “ squash blossom whorl . ” The whorls , which were achieve by coiling very prospicient pieces of hair’s-breadth around compromising wooden form , were typically outwear by recently downy cleaning woman as a symbolisation of fertility ( though men were also know to wear the bunsduring spiritual dances ) . But eventhosebuns do n’t quite look precisely like the cinnamon rove Princess Leia would later sport , as they seem to stupefy out too far from the head .
PARKING IN THE COOTIE GARAGE
tight - forward 20 year , however , and you get something that ’s a little fleck nigher : in those deeply relieved , freewheeling days following World War I , cleaning woman — young women , peculiarly — who did n’t elect to lop off their hair still had myriad choices as to how to title it . This included , but was certainly not set to , the “ earphone ” style , in which two braid were coiled into buns at either side of the forefront , usually over the ear , which made them resemble the headphones telegraphy and telephone operator wore at the sentence ( hence the name ) . Less charmingly , they were also sometimes advert to as “ cootie garages ” on account of the fact that they were supposed to be little shelter for lice . By the middle of the 1920s , the spirit was all but over ( probably with the supporter of that inauspicious nickname ) , full concede the path to the bobsled which by then , in all its many personification — the Dutch Boy , the daring Eton Crop , Marcel waves — had been embraced by virtually everyone , from young flappers to quondam char .
BUNS IN SPACE
Though Leia ’s style of bun lay fair sleeping over the next 50 or so twelvemonth , Heilemann points out that it did get a bit of play in the 1955 filmThe Dam Busters , the remarkable true tale of the RAF ’s “ bouncing bomb ” of WWII ; in the movie , they were bust on the head of scientist Barnes Wallis ’ wife . Lucas , Heilmann claim , doubtlessly would have seen the film , collapse that it urge on theStar warfare ’ Battle of Yavin , one of the first Rebel victories , and the one in which the first Death Star is put down . Since then , the hairstyle has largely remain the province of the sci - fi genre , with Heilmann pointing to Queen Fria ofFlash Gordonfame as yet another herald to Leia ’s do .
Of naturally , once Fisher donned the buns in 1977 forStar Wars , it was all over ; today it ’s nearly unsufferable to not equal side buns with Princess Leia ( Ariana Grande ’s coquetry with “ infinite buns,”which all form ofmistaken headlinestried to touch to Leia ’s buns , notwithstanding ) .
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOUR HAIRSTYLIST
Star Warsfans will observe that the buns , though Leia ’s most iconic feel , are by no means her only outré coif . Skepchickdoes an admirable problem of not only chronicling Leia ’s many hairstyles ( which , despite Lucas ’ title , are definitely at leastinfluencedby the metre from which they came ) , but also pointing out just how unmanageable each one would be to achieve for genuine , un - force haircloth without a squad of haircloth and make - up wizards — not to note painful!Fisher famously hatedLeia ’s doughnut - alike hairstyle , which took two hours to mode every sidereal day .
While Fisher has confirmed that she will appear in J.J. Abrams’Star warfare : The Force Awakens , she has also sworn that she wo n’t be bringing her buns . “ The buns are trite now , so no you ’re not going to have the futuristic buns,”she told the crowdat this twelvemonth ’s Star Wars Celebration , before badger that : “ We have an alternate thing that I think you ’ll be into — that is not the metal bikini , I promise . "
