If Leia cosplayers knew how much Carrie Fisher hated this iconic feature, they’d be very upset. Well, those 5% of them who do “classic Leia” cosplays, anyway.
Star Wars is a unique franchise in many ways, but perhaps its most phenomenal achievement is that it consists of countless elements that look like they just can’t work — and still, combined, they result in the most celebrated sci-fi saga in history. From weird alien races to high fantasy elements in a sci-fi setting to hairstyles, Star Wars makes the most questionable choices work, and here’s yet another example.
Carrie Fisher Hated Her Leia Hairstyle
Famous for portraying Princess Leia in the Star Wars movies, Carrie Fisher apparently didn’t like her hairstyle one bit at first.
According to Fisher’s best friend Griffin Dunne — or rather, his upcoming book, The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir — she was extremely frustrated with the way she looked in the movie.
“Carrie grew anxious as the release date for Star Wars — May 25, 1977 — neared. ‘You should see what they did to my hair!’ she had screamed into the phone on location, usually mornings before going to set for her, four in the morning for me. ‘I look like I’m wearing two bagels over my ears!’ Dunne recalls in the book.
While an extremely accurate description of Princess Leia’s hairstyle, it’s also hilarious — especially considering just how iconic that hairstyle became later.
Leia’s Hairstyle Took Over Pop Culture
Despite Carrie Fisher’s understandable frustration with her look, fans loved it. Like countless other elements from Star Wars, Princess Leia’s hairstyle became iconic, and it’s impossible to imagine any fan convention without a few dozen people wearing her white dress and the once-unfamiliar “two bagels over their ears.”
Of course, the classic Princess Leia look didn’t become as… Inspirational for cosplayers as Slave Leia which doesn’t include the “bagel hairstyle,” but oh well. Anyone with even a modicum of rationale can deduct that the reason for the Slave Leia look’s popularity definitely isn’t rooted in the way her hairstyle looked.
It’s something else entirely, but we can’t put our finger on it. And we strongly advise you not to, either.