Mythbusting Princess Leia’s Hair

[redkdawg]

http://skepchick.org/blog/2010/07/mythbusting-princess-leias-hair/

short story is that the hairstyles are impossible.

has anyone tried these? (and been successful)?

[spidermom]

The braided across the top hair head-band is entirely do-able, and I have done, but it ends up shorter than Leia's did. Have you ever visited the site Imaginary Styles by (I think) Starfilly? If not, you should; lots of fun.

[redkdawg]

is this the website: http://imaginary-styles.iwarp.com/


(it's among the commentary at the bottom of the original website I posted)

[GlennaGirl]

This never actually bothered me all that much. I would have just assumed she added hairpieces (if I were trying to equate it to how it would actually have happened were Star Wars real).

And knowing that it isn't real, the hair being hairpieces would just be a given. That's Hollywood.

Not a big deal. Women have been "padding" and adding to their hair for millennia (and so in many cases have men) so they would probably have done the same a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. :D

As for the styles not holding up to all the chase scenes, battle scenes, etc., well, neither would makeup have held up...I mean again...it's a movie. :P

[spidermom]

I was disturbed by the fact that her hair never ended up floofed out all over the place like mine does when I'm a fraction as active as Princess L.

[Phexlyn]

Nice article. I once tried to reproduce the buns and ended up with huge sock buns over my ears, which I couldn't get to hold. I wonder whether her hearing is muffled by all that hair?

I like Leia's hair much better than Padme/Amidala's, by the way. Padme's styles are far more inconsitent regarding length, thickness and curliness (or lack thereof) and impossible to reproduce without all her handmaidens. I think they must have done her hair while she was sleeping, or else she wouldn't have been able to get all her work done ;)

[Medievalmaniac]

I still love the movies! All except the first one (Star Wars I: Attack of the Clones) - for which there honestly is no excuse under the sun.

And - let's face it - real or fake, Leia's hair rocked. :D

[slythwolf]

I never understand why people don't just assume that in a story with highly advanced space travel and weapons technology, the hair technology wouldn't be similarly advanced. No visible means of support? Pssh. It's obviously super awesome science fiction hair spray.

[haibane]

I never understand why people don't just assume that in a story with highly advanced space travel and weapons technology, the hair technology wouldn't be similarly advanced. No visible means of support? Pssh. It's obviously super awesome science fiction hair spray.
lol, that reminds me of the TV show Defying Gravity. They showed how the astronauts used some magnetic gravity hair spray to explain why their hair was hanging down, even though they were supposed to be in zero gravity. :p

[Jenn of Pence]

My only goal as a teenager was to get hair long enough to do those buns for a Halloween costume. Never happened. :-(

I refuse to believe that the hairstyles are impossible, though. As slythwolf says, where there's a technologically advanced civilization, there's a way.



:luke:

[spitfire511]

I never understand why people don't just assume that in a story with highly advanced space travel and weapons technology, the hair technology wouldn't be similarly advanced. No visible means of support? Pssh. It's obviously super awesome science fiction hair spray.

Nice! :D I wonder if they possibly also have technology allowing them to grow/retract hair and change the texture and thickness at will (kinda like the dolls whose hair you could cut?)

[twilight]

I never understand why people don't just assume that in a story with highly advanced space travel and weapons technology, the hair technology wouldn't be similarly advanced. No visible means of support? Pssh. It's obviously super awesome science fiction hair spray.

speaking of 'no visible means of support,' did anyone else notice leia appears not to be wearing a bra of any quality (or maybe at all) under that white gown???

i mean, in star trek the chicks' boobs are always sculpted to perfection, which is more like what one might expect in a futuristic setting like that...

[hybrise]

I never really questioned Leia's hair, much like I never questioned the hair styles of women in fantasy novels and movies. Any argument that can be put forth need only be answered so:

"Psssh, science/magic!"

I always assumed that in the future there would be machines that could change your hair length, colour, texture and style every day when you got up.

[dropinthebucket]

But then Leia rocked too - by the last installment (Revenge of the Sith) all Padme could do was stand around in a blue nightie saying, "Oh Annie, Oh Annie"! They took all the oomph out of her personality as her hair got more elaborate - gosh knows why. Thnx for posting this fun article link! :)

[slythwolf]

speaking of 'no visible means of support,' did anyone else notice leia appears not to be wearing a bra of any quality (or maybe at all) under that white gown???

i mean, in star trek the chicks' boobs are always sculpted to perfection, which is more like what one might expect in a futuristic setting like that...

I guess it depends on what kind of future you envision, and/or where the fashion of the time is in the cycle of supported/unsupported breasts. Historical human cultures go back and forth with it at different times all over the world, and I wrote a post after the new Trek movie came out about how disappointed I was that the cadets were wearing modern bras--think of how different our support garments are now than they were 200 years ago, surely they won't stay this way forever.

[Irishred]

myth busting Leia's hair is not hard for me. She is a science fiction fantasy princess with beautiful long princessy hair. Or that is how I saw her as a kid when the movies came out.

Then I grew up a bit, saw a picture of Carrie Fisher as she really looked. She never had hair longer than BSL. During most of the SW OT filming her hair was just below her shoulders. There is bonus material on the trilogy DVD set that shows test shots of the actors including a whole different group of actors that tested for the parts.

It is a movie... and Leia has great (although fake) hair that little girls can dream of.

[Tiina]

They all seem doable to me. Not that practical for space adventures but not impossible hairdos on their own. Hairpieces are pretty common and just because something needs a hundred pins to stay up, it still isn't outside the realms of reality.

Besides, it's an epic sci-fi movie. Of course they can't have everything look realistic/practical.

[Yamainu]

speaking of 'no visible means of support,' did anyone else notice leia appears not to be wearing a bra of any quality (or maybe at all) under that white gown???

i mean, in star trek the chicks' boobs are always sculpted to perfection, which is more like what one might expect in a futuristic setting like that...

I'm such a nerd, I know the answer to this question....

George Lucas decided that women don't wear bra's in the future. They wear magic space tape. Being the 70's, they didn't have magic space tape. So they used duct tape.

It was apparently a running joke on set how long before it tore off...

[Sammich]

I never understand why people don't just assume that in a story with highly advanced space travel and weapons technology, the hair technology wouldn't be similarly advanced. No visible means of support? Pssh. It's obviously super awesome science fiction hair spray.

Lol, true that. ;) I mean it is science fiction! *Shrug* I didn't really like the snarky tone of the 'review' anywho... but anyway, I'm sure the braid styles are plausible, I've seen hair not have a taper at all because you can trim it to make it not have a taper you knoww... (I soo wanted to LHC rant to her LOL! :p )

[alabaster]

Nice! :D I wonder if they possibly also have technology allowing them to grow/retract hair and change the texture and thickness at will (kinda like the dolls whose hair you could cut?)

I'm with you guys on this one.... super advanced civilization=ability to have hair instantly grow and braid its self....Now i all i have to do is find that time machine i know i have kicking around somewhere and i will be on my way... Anyone coming? :D

[PrincessBob]

I have successfully recreated the Jabba's Palace braid :eyebrows:.

Sigh, I want so badly to be able to do more.

Princess Bob

[akrasia]

That's funny, I was just reading about the "meshes" and "rats" women used 100 years ago to get those big puffy pompadours.

I remember being 9 years old and seeing a picture of Carrie Fischer, and being all confused: "But--why'd she cut her hair?"

[VitaR86]

I'm such a nerd, I know the answer to this question....

George Lucas decided that women don't wear bra's in the future. They wear magic space tape. Being the 70's, they didn't have magic space tape. So they used duct tape.

It was apparently a running joke on set how long before it tore off...
lol, your not the only one. I was just about to say the same till I saw your post.

And for the battle of Endor hair, one of our LHCers did it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwjj7Qs918M

[Spiffyhink]

That's funny; I didn't know about the duct tape thingy.

And maybe I'm just an optimist, but I always considered most of them pretty doable, just not with the amount of hair that she had. I thought it was funny how one of the commenters on the article said that they were all pretty impractical hairstyles, when I think a few of them I would wear simply because they are suited better for being active (like the fake crown braid, which distributes hair weight evenly and can be kept pretty secure if you're good at it). I dunno, maybe it's just me though.

[candlesandfish]

The hoth one is totally possible, I had my hair done like that for a wedding and it only took my SIL about half an hour to do it. You need waist or tailbone length hair to do it and have it look good though.

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=3752163&l=5a6d6c3dfc&id=586337716

[Bluegrass Babe]

That girl is sooooo wrong. I think they are all doable!

"no visible means of support" ?! DUH! The mighty ancient hair pin usually never is! Shouldn't she know that?

"complicated technique"?! Really? One of my kids from pre-school kids from Sunday school knew how to braid! Not entirely neatly (or tangle free) - but she knew the "this side goes to the middle and then this side goes to the middle" part and could do it with single strands of yarn!

"heavy" hair ? If it is close to the head and pinned down, all the "weight" of the braid or bun would be evenly distributed and thus, barely noticeable. Not like the blogger's ponytail that dragged down the hair tie while swinging and therefore exaggerating it's weight.

I think we should start a Star Wars pic thread and post a link on her blog!


The braided across the top hair head-band is entirely do-able, and I have done, but it ends up shorter than Leia's did.

Someone posted a solution to that. It may be on Starfilly's site. I tried it and it works. Mine wasn't neat but it could be with practice.

Start with a hank of hair below and behind one ear and braid but do not tie off. Put it over the top of the head and pin it down. It will probably reach somewhere between the "center part" area and your other ear (depending on your length). Now take a hank of hair about five braid bumps above the end of the braid and blend the three sections of this new hair with the those of the original braid and continue braiding. The original braid will blend with the new one which will go down almost to your hemline.

If one were to add lacing like Leia the braids would be held together even more subtly. I think this is why so many assume that a braid like this must be fake - because they think a wrap around would not be near the hemline. They never consider it is actually two together. :rolleyes:

[Lielananna]

I agree that some of the styles are very practical and wouldn't take long to do at all. I know I love to do the Bespin hairstyle (see avatar/profile pic) and its super easy to do since with my length I can do it a little easier. I only separate my ponytail into two and then braid the two until the braid folded up to the holder is shoulder length. Then put the ends of the two braids through one of the loops of the elastic that's holding your ponytail up and then do a pseudo-bun with the left over length on top of the elastic and pin. That style takes me maybe five minutes and it lasts all day long and is very comfortable and looks great :). I've tried the Hoth style once or twice, but I need a bit more practice before it becomes uber easy to do, but I think it wouldn't be impractical either.

[Loviatar]

She's not a human on Earth and therefore doesnt have human hair. Ta da, myth un-busted.

[LaurenH]

I remember being 9 years old and seeing a picture of Carrie Fischer, and being all confused: "But--why'd she cut her hair?"

heehee, me too! I was devastated :p I always wanted her hair when I was younger. :)

[jasper]

She has "the force" to help keep those styles in place.

Also, why is a hairstyle "impossible" if hairpieces are involved? If you need to add a braid or two that are not actually growing from your head in order to achieve a style, this is possible, not impossible.

[dropinthebucket]

LOL Jasper! may the braid be with you .... ;)

and LOL Yaimanu! wonder if Red Green has heard of the duct tape bra? :)

twilight, i know! the fisrt time my son saw an original Star Trek episode, i had to explain torpedo bras and gogo boots. he'd never seen them and thought they were freakish! :D

[jane53]

I think that blog is hysterical! Very amusingly and well-written.

[Alcenaia]

I managed the classic buns with two elastics, two rags, and a small battalion of bobby pins. They held quite well all day. :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4727&pictureid=77629
eta: pic. sorry about the blur :p

I think here we have more imagination with regard to hair; we're not stuck in mainstream haircare/possibilities. Seems like the only thing that article "busted" was the fact that she used hairpieces. :shrug:

[trillcat]

I managed the classic buns with two elastics, two rags, and a small battalion of bobby pins. They held quite well all day. :)

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/picture.php?albumid=4727&pictureid=77629
eta: pic. sorry about the blur :p

I think here we have more imagination with regard to hair; we're not stuck in mainstream haircare/possibilities. Seems like the only thing that article "busted" was the fact that she used hairpieces. :shrug:
"a small battalion of bobby pins"
HA! Sorry, that was so funny, I am cracking up!
I am thrown back to my dad's wedding, the ladies all had updo's. We had a bobby pin contest, who had the most. My step niece came in first with 57, I came in second with 46, and the bride, my step mom, 3rd at 34. We also had baby's breath and glitter strew about the hair. That was something to see (I have pics, I wont show them)
Sorry, resume debunking Lea.
Nice job though!

[slythwolf]

I've seen hair not have a taper at all because you can trim it to make it not have a taper you knoww...

Yeah...my braid only starts to taper very close to the end, because that's where my layers are.

It used to taper a lot when I had it at TBL before. I'm starting to think it was a blessing in disguise that I decided to chop 14" off last March, because that was basically all the hair that had been highlighted and now I can see my true thickness.

Edit: Speaking of duct tape bras, my sister did that for prom one year because she couldn't find a strapless bra that didn't hang out the back of her dress. (I'm sure they had longlines available at the time, but not in our small town.) She said it held like iron but it hurt like hell to take off.

[Gnomentum]

CLEARLY the hairstyles are possible. She had them; CGI wasn't invented yet. Ergo, they were real. They just had fake hair in with them.

And clearly, the writer has never been on the LHC - most of those styles ARE practical!

[Yeesha]

That girl is sooooo wrong. I think they are all doable!

"no visible means of support" ?! DUH! The mighty ancient hair pin usually never is! Shouldn't she know that?

"complicated technique"?! Really? One of my kids from pre-school kids from Sunday school knew how to braid! Not entirely neatly (or tangle free) - but she knew the "this side goes to the middle and then this side goes to the middle" part and could do it with single strands of yarn!

"heavy" hair ? If it is close to the head and pinned down, all the "weight" of the braid or bun would be evenly distributed and thus, barely noticeable. Not like the blogger's ponytail that dragged down the hair tie while swinging and therefore exaggerating it's weight.

I think we should start a Star Wars pic thread and post a link on her blog!

*signed*

^^

And hey, she wrote in the blog that she tried it with "nearly waist length hair"... That's not too long, I'm quite sure with long and thick enough hair all of the styles are very doable.
I think such a thread would be a fun idea. :D

[Yamainu]

I know the cinabuns are held with nets...

[mellie]

Alcenaia, that looks great!! :-)

Thanks for the blog link, that was very interesting, the comments especially. I had no idea about the Spain or Hopi connections!

[Starfilly]

I've done every style from the original trilogy with no real problems. In terms of character hair consistency, they did much, much better with that in the original trilogy than in the prequels, particularly if you imagine Leia cut her hair as the trilogy progressed. The styles requiring the longest/thickest hair are in A New Hope, the Empire Strikes Back styles can be done with slightly shorter hair, and the Return of the Jedi styles require only about as much hair as she has in Endor. (Clearly I've spent too much time rationalizing this. :rolleyes:)


I like Leia's hair much better than Padme/Amidala's, by the way. Padme's styles are far more inconsitent regarding length, thickness and curliness (or lack thereof) and impossible to reproduce without all her handmaidens. I think they must have done her hair while she was sleeping, or else she wouldn't have been able to get all her work done

Ditto that! They didn't even attempt to keep any consistency with Padme's hair, particularly in Episode III. I've tried all of the prequel hairstyles as well, but had widely varying degrees of success. Some of them are just preposterous, though I did have a good laugh at myself as I made the attempts.

[Bluegrass Babe]

I managed the classic buns with two elastics, two rags, and a small battalion of bobby pins. They held quite well all day. :)

I think here we have more imagination with regard to hair; we're not stuck in mainstream haircare/possibilities. Seems like the only thing that article "busted" was the fact that she used hairpieces. :shrug:

Tutorial please. (The rags are confusing me):confused:


Alcenaia, that looks great!! :-)
Thanks for the blog link, that was very interesting, the comments especially. I had no idea about the Spain or Hopi connections!

I don't think it was the Hopi specifically IMO. They favored the squash blossom, which Leia's clearly aren't. My favourite Mexican restaurant has a mural with Southwestern Native American/Mexican women grinding corn by hand and making tortillas by open flame. They have the "Ponchovilla" side buns that G. Lucas talked about.



And clearly, the writer has never been on the LHC - most of those styles ARE practical!

I'd say VERY practical. She obviously has no experience with braids at all!

Alcenaia is right - we think differently and everyone else is trapped by mainstream mentality. And I think there were too many men and not enough women who commented.

I would love to see a thread on this! Even though I suggested it I probably wouldn't post a pic. My braids stink!:poot:

Starfilly was the tip on lengthening the headband braid yours? I think I remember your name in connection to that question, but I'm not positive.

Dementia did Padme's Battle Bun. That's the only one I can remember that seemed doable. (But I have only seen pre-quels once - I've seen the original trilogy up to 3 times every day for past 6 -7 years!)

[jasper]

GuinevereMay made a tutorial and thread http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/showthread.php?t=47265

[Keildra]

Article's like that annoy me. Mainly because it's science fiction, and yes it is a long time ago in a galaxy far far away but apparently they are way more technilogically advanced than we are. Yes, Leia is considered a human but that doesn't mean that she wasn't genetically predispositioned to have magical hair, seriously we've all seen padme's hair :D

My two cents has already been covered in this thread.

Also about her undergarments, she actually didn't have the tape for the first few scenes on the executioner so you see her floppy for one minute and then flat the next. At least it's that way on my VHS copy (yes I'm soo old school)

[Starfilly]

Starfilly was the tip on lengthening the headband braid yours? I think I remember your name in connection to that question, but I'm not positive.

I don't think that was me, but now I'm not sure who it was! I remember reading their suggestion and thinking I should give it a try, though.

[Spiffyhink]

Such lovely cinnabuns that were posted earlier! They looked perfect! Mine always look like bee-butt buns, but that's because I do them the lazy way :p

I always figured that Padme's styles were a lot crazier because she was more of a figurehead and had a crapload of money to spend on extensions and hair stylists. They were pretty crazy, though.

[steamboat28]

Nice! :D I wonder if they possibly also have technology allowing them to grow/retract hair and change the texture and thickness at will (kinda like the dolls whose hair you could cut?)

I can't speak for Star Wars on this point, but I can assure you that in the universe of Dune, there are ways to do this. In fact, Herbert's series there was a caste of infiltrators called the Face Dancers, who were designed for the purposes of mimicry.

They were genetically and surgically modified to be able to change their appearance at will. Part of this was to replace all the hair on the subject's head with what amounts to fiber optic cable with small lights to change the color, and they were trained to use the genetically modified muscles in their scalp to make their hair shorter (by tensing the muscles, pulling their hair up on end) or longer (by relaxing, and letting it hang at full length) by a few inches.

[twilight]

I'm such a nerd, I know the answer to this question....

George Lucas decided that women don't wear bra's in the future. They wear magic space tape. Being the 70's, they didn't have magic space tape. So they used duct tape.

It was apparently a running joke on set how long before it tore off...

shut up! that is awesome, both that you know it and that it's so funny. thanks for solving the mystery of the boob-floppage :)

[Alcenaia]

Thanks trillcat and mellie. I had fun doing this, and wearing it for Halloween. Partay! :cheese:


Tutorial please. (The rags are confusing me):confused:

Bluegrass Babe, here's the tutorial you asked for. I failed at counting--it was four elastics, two per bun. :p I have the length necessary for this style, but not the volume/thickness. The rags were to help me compensate for that. They also helped provide some stability.

1. Part hair down the middle, from line to nape. Contain one side of the hair in a loose ponytail to keep it out of the way.

2. Take the half of the hair that is not in the ponytail. Make a ponytail with this hair, using an elastic. The elastic should sit just above your ear, and should be fairly snug against your head.

3. Gently twist the first rag, as if you're twisting a ponytail for a cinnabun. Wrap the rag around the base of this ponytail. Some of the rag twist should be over your ear. Using bobby pins, pin THROUGH the rag to attach to scalp hair, as if the rag is just another coil of a bun. This is similar to the sock bun, but the rags will be attached to the head more firmly. Use bobby pins with abandon, as this is the main support for the rest of the bun.

4. Fan out the ponytail around the rag, so that none of the rag shows. It usually helps to lean to the side, so gravity is helping. Once the hair is fanned out in a circle, take the second elastic and slip it over the rag/hair to be close to the first elastic. You should now have a "sock bun" with hair fanned out all around it on one side of your head, covering some of your ear.

5. Loosely gather the fanned out hair, twisting as you go around. Basically, cinnabun the remaining hair around the "sock bun". It helps to begin twisting near the bottom of the bun or near the side of the bun closest to the back of your head. Continue using bobby pins with abandon, as only about half the hair will be able to be pinned to scalp hair. The other half of the bun will be covering your ear.

6. Repeat for the other side.

7. Have an adventure in a galaxy far far away, looking awesome. :D

Hopefully that was clear. If not, I'd be happy to take a stab at clarifying or adding some pictures. :)

[Jessica Trapp]

I have a life-size Princess Leia cardboard "doll" that moves from room to room in my house. Always loved her hair.

:D jes

[christine1989]

Most are entirely do-able! My mom did many of them on me when I was in elementary school. Granted, the iconic big side buns do need socks to be achieved but it does work.

[Bluegrass Babe]

Alcenaia -
That is perfectly clear. Thank you! :flowers:

My youngest is the Star Wars trilogy fanatic. He watches it constantly and switches from the dvd to vhs versions. He runs around in a Darth Vader costume half the time! I think he'd love it if I dressed up as Leia and played along! (Wonders if much older sis still has white go-go boots... :hmm: )

By the way, I did yard work this morning in braids from the rebel assault (sort of). I crossed my two eneven scraggly oiled braids in the back and wrapped them around my head. Of course, they weren't nearly long enough to go over the top. I anchored each braid end with a tiny claw clip, overlapped the two tassels right on top of my center part and added two more clips.

When hubby saw me he said "Hey - Princess Leia with a tiara! Are you taking pictures for your hair club?" (No pics, I was covered in grass clippings, sweaty and beet red from the heat!) Hair club!? Ha ha ha! :rollin:
It was comfortable, kept the oil off my shirt, and very stable - even when I had to chase my little one down the driveway.

[Schefflera]

I don't know if anybody else remembers this, but in the EU novel The Crystal Star (much maligned as it sometimes is... and to be fair, I remembered this part considerably better than the central plot), Leia has enough hair for the double cinnabuns without augmentation. *grin* It's ankle-length and she's essentially curtained off if she lets it down and pulls some of it over her face.

I always kind of liked that bit.

Actually, considering the version I did with barely-ii hair... and how much thickness some people get... at that point she might have had too much hair for the double cinnabuns. ;)

[vampyriccadence]

Alcenaia -
That is perfectly clear. Thank you! :flowers:

My youngest is the Star Wars trilogy fanatic. He watches it constantly and switches from the dvd to vhs versions. He runs around in a Darth Vader costume half the time! I think he'd love it if I dressed up as Leia and played along! (Wonders if much older sis still has white go-go boots... :hmm: )

By the way, I did yard work this morning in braids from the rebel assault (sort of). I crossed my two eneven scraggly oiled braids in the back and wrapped them around my head. Of course, they weren't nearly long enough to go over the top. I anchored each braid end with a tiny claw clip, overlapped the two tassels right on top of my center part and added two more clips.

When hubby saw me he said "Hey - Princess Leia with a tiara! Are you taking pictures for your hair club?" (No pics, I was covered in grass clippings, sweaty and beet red from the heat!) Hair club!? Ha ha ha! :rollin:
It was comfortable, kept the oil off my shirt, and very stable - even when I had to chase my little one down the driveway.

That's a cute story! And the braids over the head is a great way to keep your hair out of the way and sticking to your sweaty self.

It's nice to hear that so many people have been able to do some versions of her hair.

[AZDesertRose]

I've managed both A New Hope hairstyles. Granted, my side cinnabuns were not nearly as big as Leia's, and I didn't have three layers of bunned braid for the award ceremony hairstyle, but they can be done, or at least, I managed reasonable facsimiles when my hair was in the tailbone-classic length range.

Sadly, no pics, and I can't exactly reproduce the styles now that my hair is shorter, but I'm nerdy enough that I'll reproduce them again when my hair grows back out.

I dressed up as Princess Leia for Halloween last year (why, yes, I was 33 and still dressing up for Halloween, why do you ask? :D), and managed the cinnabuns with, as someone else previously mentioned, a small army of bobby pins.

The award ceremony hairdo is actually easier than it looks. Make a high ponytail, split it in half horizontally. Braid both halves in regular English braids. Bun the top braid over the bottom braid; leave the bottom braid to hang. Voila! Reasonable facsimile of the award ceremony do. It will look like it's all one braid because the bottom braid is underneath the top one, and because you've split your hair in half, both braids are approximately the same thickness.

[Bluegrass Babe]

Vampyriccadence -
Just goes to show that even imperfect braids that are not as long or pinned down with super glue or the "force" can still be practical!

AZDesertRose -
That is a great way to do it. Even as a kid, I always thought she had 2 or 3 braids and they were wrapped around something to give it that pill box hat shape. Back then I knew about "padding" hair because of my older sisters. I never thought her hair was fake (didn't know about any fake hair except little old lady type wigs!).

Perhaps a bun donut or a sock bun and two braids would work. I'll have to try when my hair is longer. Bet I can get a bronze bikini out of that! :eyebrows:

[AZDesertRose]

AZDesertRose -
That is a great way to do it. Even as a kid, I always thought she had 2 or 3 braids and they were wrapped around something to give it that pill box hat shape. Back then I knew about "padding" hair because of my older sisters. I never thought her hair was fake (didn't know about any fake hair except little old lady type wigs!).

Perhaps a bun donut or a sock bun and two braids would work. I'll have to try when my hair is longer. Bet I can get a bronze bikini out of that! :eyebrows:

If I'd had something to pad the top braid with, it would have looked more like the award ceremony do, but I just wrapped it around in a regular braided bun on top of the bottom braid.

DD decided to have a geek fest tonight and watch the original trilogy. The huge cinnabuns actually are a little frayed after the escape from the Death Star, so either they got messed up or the costume/wig/makeup people frayed them a little on purpose to make it look a little more realistic, although if you're looking for realism, the Star Wars films are not a good place to start. :D

[jasper]

DD decided to have a geek fest tonight and watch the original trilogy. The huge cinnabuns actually are a little frayed after the escape from the Death Star, so either they got messed up or the costume/wig/makeup people frayed them a little on purpose to make it look a little more realistic, although if you're looking for realism, the Star Wars films are not a good place to start. :D

I had to watch some of it tonight too. She primps and adjusts her hair a tiny bit after they get out of the trash smasher, and each side bun is just perfectly round and tightly coiled for a second, but they're loosened up when when the camera cuts away comes back to her a second later. :cheese:

[Charlotte:)]

Belle's hairdo from Beauty and the Beast while she's wearing the yellow dress is also impossible. Impossible hairdos in movies drive me crazy. I can never stop staring at them!

[Bluegrass Babe]

AZDesertRose -
I'm sure your hair was beautiful! (I would be willing to bet that even if we could do exactly as the hairdressers on set, the result would look way to big on most of us. Head eating braid-bun!)
Besides, I'd worry enough about my braid coming loose, let alone something that looks like an escaped guinea pig falling off my head!

jasper, it is hard to primp without a mirror!

ETA: I would be willing to post the hairstyle I had this morning (though not really a true rebel assault style) if there is ever a thread on it.

Idea! :idea: Hairstyle of the month: Science fiction movie styles!

[Milui Elenath]

I disagree with the article.

I also have done alot of the Leia hairstyles, the only one I never did was the braided bun and braid from the end of star wars. (which I'll admit is unlikely without hair pieces.) However all others are possible without hair pieces. I even used twine to create the little x's down the braids from Endor.

I found Leia's cloud city style the most comfortable and very pratical. I used to wear it to work frequently and it stayed in place.

I admit whenever I did the buns I used those terrible plastic quickbuns, like this only mine have teeth! http://www.scrunchies.com/img/items/043194161621-2.gif
you can completely hide them by pulling the hair over them but you have to be really careful when taking them out not to untangle each hair before undoing the hooks. I was never satisfied with the way the buns looked compared to Leia's and always wondered how she got them looking so smooth.

Sadly I too did not realise it wasn't Carrie Fisher's real hair until I was older. I think when I watched Spaceballs I began to cotton on. (When Vespa took off her headphones):o

[cm006j]

I'd say VERY practical. She obviously has no experience with braids at all!

Alcenaia is right - we think differently and everyone else is trapped by mainstream mentality. And I think there were too many men and not enough women who commented.

I would love to see a thread on this! Even though I suggested it I probably wouldn't post a pic. My braids stink!:poot:

Starfilly was the tip on lengthening the headband braid yours? I think I remember your name in connection to that question, but I'm not positive.

Dementia did Padme's Battle Bun. That's the only one I can remember that seemed doable. (But I have only seen pre-quels once - I've seen the original trilogy up to 3 times every day for past 6 -7 years!)

This person on youtube demonstrates the classic buns with sock buns: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ls2k3QdkiCQ&feature=related

[enfys]

http://6.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kt1cypjiMM1qzyz6ko1_500.jpg

Myth busting the myth busting; you can see her hairnets! I've also seen photos with visible pins but can't find them now.

Add me to the list of people who find faux crown braids secure and comfy; ideal for pogoing at gigs!

For realistic desheveled hair, I always appreciated Captain Katherine Janeway; you would see her pinning her hair back up as she came out of lifts or after shaky-camera impacts.

[GeoJ]

I did once achieve good looking Princess Leia buns. I did it by making a ponytail above each ear, then brushing my wavy hair- which makes it fluff up. Then I made loosely twisted and coiled cinnabuns, held with many bobby pins, and finished with hairspray (I almost never use hairspray). They looked big and got a lot of attention. They held up to a night of walking around, and one guy that squished his face into one. :bigeyes:

[Tapioca]

The Battle of Endor 'Do.

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb235/Tapioca_Rat/Hair/EndorSide-1.jpg

http://i208.photobucket.com/albums/bb235/Tapioca_Rat/Hair/016-1.jpg

I wore it like this all day at the Ren Faire. A long day of hiking up and down hills, dancing, running, towing two seven-year-old girls around... and it never budged.

[Bluegrass Babe]

Thanks for the link cm006j! She is so cute in full costume and even has her own Han Solo!

Tapioca that's beautiful! My hair isn't long enough to cross over my head or for the braided bun in back - yet.

[Marchpane]

The very reason I started growing my hair out as a little girl was when I saw Star Wars and decided I wanted Princess Leia buns, and my mom told me I'd need long hair for that. Actually... I think I'm still secretly growing it long for that reason! ;)

[Elistariel]

So THAT'S how you do sock buns? I want to raid my sock drawer now. Seeing is different than reading about it. I have a Leia costume somewhere along with a wig that I wore around high school (complete with some white boots I had) for celebrity day.

[Bluegrass Babe]

So THAT'S how you do sock buns? I want to raid my sock drawer now.

I've never seen that way referred to as a sock bun before. That is similar to how Alcenaia did her buns using rags (posts #34 & #50).

The first way I learned how to sock bun was spreading the hair over a tube sock donut. Like in this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIzoqMh1mfI). But it takes lots of pins and I still had loose hairs poking out.

I prefer Loepsie's video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I13J7ArHTkM). You just roll the hair into the donut and don't have to worry about being neat until the end. And it stays with fewer pins. Lots here use it to curl hair without heat.

[florenonite]

Belle's hairdo from Beauty and the Beast while she's wearing the yellow dress is also impossible. Impossible hairdos in movies drive me crazy. I can never stop staring at them!

It looks totally plausible to me. It's either a half-up sock bun, or it's a sock bun with the ends curled and hanging loose.

[GuinevereMay]

As pointed out here, I did a tutorial on two of Leia's styles. Or rather, my interpretation of them. Since I don't use fake hair, they aren't exactly the same.

http://i288.photobucket.com/albums/ll162/Tristanc2003/DSCF8740-1.jpg

[Vampire]

Real or not the article was good :D
And im a strong believer of some cosmic hairspray or machine they just stick their head into :p
and im so gonna try those Leia buns when my hair grows longer

[Siowiel]

Personally, I believe Leia owns a droid similar to R2, only in pink instead of blue, that has no tiny oil-tanks and mechanic-tools, but brushes, bobby-pins and eyeshadow.

And then R2 and "her" fall in love and have baby droids and... ahem. You get the picture.

Btw, I own yellow contact lenses with a red rim (Darth-Maul-Style), and have red hair (redder than Leia, but not terribly different), and I am currently contemplating doing her buns,that I achieved before, not perfect movie-style, but recognizeable, popping in my contacts and politely telling everybody who inquires: "Yes, I am indeed named Leia, but I take more after my father's side!"

[Speedbump]

Being the 70's, they didn't have magic space tape. So they used duct tape.

It was apparently a running joke on set how long before it tore off...
Well, at least we know she didn't have any chest warts. :eek::eyebrows::p

[Siowiel]

Oh NO! I NEED to buy something... it is not about Leia, but about Star Wars.
I just got the idea from a hair dagger topic to search for miniature lightsabers to put in my hair, and I NEED NEED NEED those to hold up my bun! But.. I fear they could be too long with 23cm/9in - What do you reckon?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kotobukiya-Star-Wars-Light-Saber-Chopstick-Darth-Maul-/130420952505?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

(They sell those in other varieties and colours, but I like those because they can be joined together!)

[rhosyn_du]

Oh NO! I NEED to buy something... it is not about Leia, but about Star Wars.
I just got the idea from a hair dagger topic to search for miniature lightsabers to put in my hair, and I NEED NEED NEED those to hold up my bun! But.. I fear they could be too long with 23cm/9in - What do you reckon?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Kotobukiya-Star-Wars-Light-Saber-Chopstick-Darth-Maul-/130420952505?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0

(They sell those in other varieties and colours, but I like those because they can be joined together!)

I think they might be a bit long. I have a set of the shorter "Yoda" ones that I use for hair sticks, and they're only barely short enough to be practical for use.

[eezepeeze]

I've been able to replicate (not EXACTLY) the buns on either side of the head. I just do a really loosely twisted cinnamon bun. Sock buns didn't work for me, although Loepsie's fully rolled sock bun is a close approximation. The trick to the cinnabun wayis not to twist the hair much at all, but just enough to keep it together. That will give you lots of fullness. I also tried wrapping the hair around a rolled up bandana but had trouble hiding it since it was white. I don't really see how the braided styles would be that difficult for gifted braider. Once you can do 4+ strand braids, crown braids, lace braids, etc. it's really just a matter of using the same weaving techniques in different ways. With Halloween coming up, I'll be trying more of these styles, since I'll probably do a Leia-esque look.

[MandyBeth]

The OT are fine. The new bite because if they can do the hair voodoo then, they could in the OT. So that's my issue. Plus the rather obvious added parts in the new. If they have the voodoo, the hair would match.

[ArienEllariel]

Personally, I believe Leia owns a droid similar to R2, only in pink instead of blue, that has no tiny oil-tanks and mechanic-tools, but brushes, bobby-pins and eyeshadow.

And then R2 and "her" fall in love and have baby droids and... ahem. You get the picture.

Btw, I own yellow contact lenses with a red rim (Darth-Maul-Style), and have red hair (redder than Leia, but not terribly different), and I am currently contemplating doing her buns,that I achieved before, not perfect movie-style, but recognizeable, popping in my contacts and politely telling everybody who inquires: "Yes, I am indeed named Leia, but I take more after my father's side!"

:rollin:Yes!

[.:Alma:.]

After trying all the styles on my blog, I realized the only way to make them work and stay up all day during empire assaults is to use The Force.

No other way!

[Kira94]

I attempted Leia buns back in 2009 when my hair was shoulder length.

http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=9451&pictureid=123289

I should try it again now that my hair's longer. :)

[oktobergoud]

Personally, I believe Leia owns a droid similar to R2, only in pink instead of blue, that has no tiny oil-tanks and mechanic-tools, but brushes, bobby-pins and eyeshadow.

And then R2 and "her" fall in love and have baby droids and... ahem. You get the picture.


OMG now I want one!! :D R2 is too cute! (Yes I find a robot CUTE uhm okay)

[auburntressed]

I spent a good portion of my childhood in the Bespin hairstyle, the Jabba's Palace hairstyle, and different variations on the various Hoth/Endor crown braids. I was a very active child, and the hairstyles stayed up and in place all day. Perfect replicas? Probably not. But as close as no nevermind. I also have always assumed that Leia's hair was VERY thick, as shown by her braids. Clearly, I know Carrie Fisher never had hair that long or that thick, but the character of Leia did.

I don't see anything unrealistic about a space Princess having hair like that, especially given that she could have also used extensions or inserts to assist. And I honestly don't see how it is implausible that a grown woman who has apparently had long, thick hair her entire life would be incapable of putting it up into some of those styles on her own. I did some of those on myself as a kid, so clearly a grown up could do it. Mine looked crappy when I didn't have help, but again... I was little.

Part of the article mentioned that Leia's "thickness" was unrealistic when compared next to the shots of her hair down in Ewok village. I don't see how they could possibly determine that. It can be impossible to tell the difference between a i and a iii if both have their hair down and brushed out, side by side - given various circumstances. I mean, yes, sometimes you can tell just by looking at loose hair if it is thick or thin. But usually you really can't, especially when you factor in various curl patterns, frizz, volume, ect. I know that makes me sound like a major hair geek, but so be it.

Another point in the article said something about how her braids could not possible stay so even throughout, because real hair gets thinner towards the ends. Yes, that is true for most of us. But it is not universally true. Look at the pictures of Madora's braids, for example. Also some others on here have braids that are thick throughout. Uncommon, yes. Implausible, no.

[wicked kisses]

speaking of 'no visible means of support,' did anyone else notice leia appears not to be wearing a bra of any quality (or maybe at all) under that white gown???

i mean, in star trek the chicks' boobs are always sculpted to perfection, which is more like what one might expect in a futuristic setting like that...

It all has to do with the fashion at the time the movies/series were made. In Star Trek, it was 1966-69 at which time if your boobs weren't exactly conical and pointy, you were a slob.

When Star Wars was made, bra-less was in.

[Charybdis]

I don't see anything unrealistic about a space Princess having hair like that, especially given that she could have also used extensions or inserts to assist. And I honestly don't see how it is implausible that a grown woman who has apparently had long, thick hair her entire life would be incapable of putting it up into some of those styles on her own. I did some of those on myself as a kid, so clearly a grown up could do it. Mine looked crappy when I didn't have help, but again... I was little.

Not sure if this has already been mentioned in this thread, but Leia's satellite-dish buns on the side of her head look as though they were based on the traditional style worn by unmarried Hopi girls (http://farm1.staticflickr.com/115/302385267_272e73b65c_m.jpg) before the tribe began to be influenced by European culture. Don't know whether these girls were able to achieve this hairstyle without assistance from their moms, but it certainly doesn't require any advanced hair technology.

[Vapunzel91]

I tired something similar to the buns with my roommate's help, but it fell out within the hour of walking from the mirror on the door to my bed, later down the hall to brush my teeth and back to my bed.

[auburntressed]

Not sure if this has already been mentioned in this thread, but Leia's satellite-dish buns on the side of her head look as though they were based on the traditional style worn by unmarried Hopi girls (http://farm1.staticflickr.com/115/302385267_272e73b65c_m.jpg) before the tribe began to be influenced by European culture. Don't know whether these girls were able to achieve this hairstyle without assistance from their moms, but it certainly doesn't require any advanced hair technology.
Haha! Yes, I have done a lot of reading on the squash blossoms. From what I understand, it is near impossible to do that hairstyle without help. And sometimes they used inserts to get the shape right. Some of them would leave the little boards inside to hold them up once the shape was achieved, others would take them out. But still, no super space technology required, no.

[lolabird]

As a newbie, can I just say this thread is thoroughly enjoyable? :p

[Madora]

Auburntressed wrote:

Another point in the article said something about how her braids
could not possible stay so even throughout, because real hair gets thinner towards the ends. Yes, that is true for most of us. But it is not universally true. Look at the pictures of Madora's braids, for example. Also some others on here have braids that are thick throughout. Uncommon, yes. Implausible, no.

Aww, thanks!...but believe me, my braids (at that time) tapered too.

I loved the braided tier effect of the awards ceremony hairstyle but try as I might, I never could get my braids to tier effectively, so I settled for a double braided bun, with the remainder loosely braided down my back.

Leia must have had some industrial strength hairpins to keep those buns in place!

[MasCat]

The first time I read in a sci-fi books about nanobots I thought "Oh, if I ever had 15 nanobots that would crawl on my hair, all day long and just cut it off just above the split ends and make a protected ending with some kind of polymer" :)

I love the picture where the hair net is visible - I' a "behind the scenes" fan :)

I wanted to replicate the buns for a fantasy-sci fi convention and told myself that when I bulge my cheeks a bit I kind of look like Carrie Fisher :)

[Monkey962]

I personally think that article was kind of dumb. Has the author ever had say, waist or hip length hair? It just seems like her method of figuring out if the styles were possible was that if she couldn't do it, no one could. For example, when she had it loose at Endor, what's so hard about a braided headband? I could probably do one. Same goes for the Hoth style. Looks like Torrin Paige's crown braid to me, maybe even the Elizabethan hairtaping method. And the author basically says, you'd need help and Hoth is cold, so it's busted!