Star Wars: Princess Leia's Hair Buns Have An Inspiration Most Fans Don't Know
Princess Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) wears plenty of iconic outfits and hairstyles throughout the "Star Wars" saga, but few — if any — measure up to her very first. In "Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope," the Rebel leader is first seen aboard the Tantive IV, narrowly failing to escape the clutches of the Empire. She's seen wearing a white robe and a silver belt, with her hair fashioned into two braided buns, one on each side of her head. Though the clothes are unmistakable, the hair especially has become the stuff of pop culture legend. It may seem other-worldly, but it seems to have real-world inspiration behind it.
The twin buns hairstyle appears to be fittingly inspired by a real-life revolutionary, Clara de la Rocha. Born in Durango in 1890, she grew up under her revolutionary father, Herculano de la Rocha, and became a member of Mexico's Maderista movement during the Mexican Revolution. She was a part of numerous notable battles throughout the conflict, earning the titles of guerrilla commander and colonel. Clara frequently wore her hair in a style very much reminiscent of Leia in "A New Hope," which seemed to be inspired by an often-worn hairstyle of the Hopi tribe.
Though he doesn't name Clara directly, "Star Wars" creator George Lucas himself has attested to the importance of the hairstyles worn by the women of the Mexican Revolution in figuring out Leia's now-legendary hairdo.
George Lucas has discussed the real-world origin of Princess Leia's A New Hope hairdo
Decades after Princess Leia's "A New Hope" look cemented its place in Hollywood history, George Lucas told Time in 2002 how he came to give the character her famous hairdo. "In the 1977 film, I was working very hard to create something different that wasn't fashion, so I went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look, which is what that is. The buns are basically from the turn-of-the-century Mexico. Then it took such hits and became such a thing," he said, revealing the role women like Clara de la Rocha played in Leia's hairstyling.
Ultimately, Leia doesn't go back to her "A New Hope" look in her original and sequel "Star Wars" trilogy appearances. However, that's not to say that the revolutionary look doesn't appear elsewhere in the Skywalker saga. In the prequel trilogy, Leia's mother, Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman), also dons some pretty unique hairstyles. Among them is a style from "Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith" that very much evokes Leia's "A New Hope" look, albeit with the buns raised above the ears in a more Hopi-esque fashion, as seen above.