For a long time in movies and tv straight hair was seen as the so-called ‘default’ – so, just like with hair colors, any time a character’s hair has deviated from that ‘norm’, it’s usually meant to represent something. Sometimes curly hair is a positive signifier – like of an untamable strength within a character – but for a long time curly hair was used as an indication that something about a character needed to be changed and, well, straightened out. In recent years, things have begun evolving as we’ve seen more and more characters come to love their hair (and themselves) as is, following on the back of real world movements to do the same.

“I could chronicle my journey of self acceptance through my journey with my hair.” Tracee Ellis Ross

So let’s unpack the different tropes that have sprung up around curly hair on screen (good and bad) and how we’re finally bouncing past those into a much more positive, accepting place.

Wildness or Powerfulness

Big bouncy curls or a beautiful afro have often been used as a way to visualize a character’s powerful, wild nature. These characters are usually more free, untethered from being tied down by the constraints of society in a way that her straight-haired counterparts aren’t. But this wildness is usually framed as something that needs to be tamed. On Sex and the City, Carrie Bradshaw begins the show with a head of curly hair, but as time goes on and her more feisty personality is sanded down to be more ‘sleek’ and flat as she tried to mold herself into the person she thought Big might be willing to love, so too followed her hair – going from the bouncy curls of the earlier seasons to the glossy barrel curls and waves of the later seasons. And this is a trend we often see in the “wild” curly girl trope: while her wildness is what initially pulls people in, for her to get her “happily ever after”, that part of her personality (and also her hair) must get straightened out. We also see this with Vivian in Pretty Woman. The initial reveal of her fiery red curls hiding underneath the blonde wig serve to tell us that there’s more to her than we might have initially expected, a bright, interesting, slightly messy personality caged beneath the trappings of the life she’s living. But to become “acceptable” to this new life, both her hair and personality have to be controlled. Sometimes this ‘curly hair as physical manifestation of an uncontrollable nature’ idea is taken into the extreme, where villains are given curly locks to signify the deep unruly evil lurking within them. They’re erratic and uncontrollable, and their hair is made larger and wilder to match.

Other times curly hair is portrayed as a positive thing – a sign of a character being willing to take up space and follow her own path. She often seems to have a power deep within her that’s almost outside of her control, that she must learn to harness to grow and find success on her life’s journey. On Girlfriends, Joan Clayton (played by the iconic Tracee Ellis Ross), was an independent, successful attorney. Her crown of beautiful curls are an interesting visual representation of her personality: strong and put together but also a little bit out there on occasion. Her sporting her natural locks was also important because it stood up in direct contrast to the societal implication that curly hair – particularly black women’s natural hair – was ‘unprofessional’ or ‘improper.’ (An issue that we’ll unpack more in a moment.)

Quirkiness

Because curly hair is seen (on screen) as being ‘outside of the norm’, it’s sometimes used to represent a quirky or nonconforming nature. These characters usually aren’t interested in trying to fit in or conform (though that doesn’t mean they won’t be made to eventually…) Their curly hair is used to represent the way they live outside of the box and don’t care if other people notice. Broad City’s Ilana Wexler’s curls match her bouncy and free nature. And just like she’s unapologetic about her personality, she never feels the need to hide or change her hair.

“Your hair, it’s perfect! The curls are so plump, yet so light.” “Moi? Merci beaucoup, monsieur.” Broad City

Because their hair is often seen as being connected to positive aspects of their personalities – their fun, ‘march to the beat of their own drum’ personas – these kinds of curly girls have sometimes been able to escape the straightening even when they do go through a makeover in their story (sometimes they even get curls as part of their big makeover.) In Clueless, Cher and Dionne’s makeover of Tai includes changing many aspects of her appearance – but her curls are not only allowed to stay but are showcased as an important part of her look. Because even in her misguided quest to update Tai’s looks to make her fit in more, Cher realizes that it shouldn’t mean having to change everything about who she is. In My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Toula’s makeover as she finds confidence in herself doesn’t see her pulling out the flat iron but instead enhancing her curls.

But while some characters are allowed to embrace their curls as part of their story, many aren’t so lucky…

Uncoolness or a part of them that needs to change

As we discussed earlier, a character straightening out her unruly hair is often a deliberate part of her story to show how she’s being tamed and changed – evolving into a sleeker, more “acceptable” version of herself. In The Princess Diaries, the straightening of her hair is a major step in Mia’s evolution from a quirky outcast into a pretty, poised princess. Curly hair is often seen as something a character wants to get rid of or hide, not a beautiful part of themself but something they’re ashamed of.

“The party starts in a couple of hours, so I have to blow out my hair, otherwise my secret will be out. I have curly hair.” Crazy Ex-Girlfriend

On Friends, Monica has an entire episode arc that revolved around freaking out because the humidity on vacation has caused her natural hair texture to start breaking through (because apparently she somehow never encountered high humidity in New York City…)

As far as movies and TV were concerned for a long time, women and girls’ main purpose in life was to be hot – and curly hair was seen as “not hot”, and so something that had to be changed. Even if it wasn’t a specific part of her plot, it was often just something that happened over time – her hair growing straighter and straighter as she moves towards finally getting the life she wants. And this idea of course affected how women with curly hair were treated behind the scenes in real life, too. Julia Louis-Dreyfus recounted a time when, after doing a skit on SNL that featured her with a blowout, a producer told her she should straighten her hair all of the time because it made her hotter to a bunch of creepy execs. She told journalist Adam Baer that the producer told her, “Julia, I got a call from a bunch of NBC executives after last night’s show, and they said that after seeing your hair straight, they all wanna fuck you.” And then implied that because of that, she should just straighten her hair forever. Thankfully she did not take his advice, and when she snagged the role of Eline Benes on Seinfeld a few years later, in fact made sure her hair was extra big. She said, “The irony of it was that not only did I make my hair curly on “Seinfeld,”... but I enhanced the curl and made it HUGE!”

But obviously the women that have been most affected by the stereotypes against curly and textured hair are black women. There is a long history of black women being made to relax their hair to fit into white society due to racist stereotypes claiming that natural textures were not pretty or were ‘unprofessional.’

“What is considered beautiful is still measured, in many instances – even with the beautiful natural hair movement – in relation to whiteness.” Marsai Martin

And this meant that for a very long time, black women didn’t see anyone with hair like theirs on screen, leading to them feeling even more like it was something that needed to be changed or “fixed.”

“Getting relaxer can be very painful. And you’d sit there while it burned in little, bitty parts, and then she’d tell you, ‘don’t be tender headed!’” Blackish

Tracee Ellis Ross, who has become known for her big, beautiful hair, has been open about the fact that reaching that place of loving her hair didn’t come easy. While she did have support for her curls at home growing up as the daughter of the iconic Diana Ross, also known for her beautiful locks, Tracee didn’t see her hair type on magazines or screens around her. She told Glamour UK that she had a “contentious relationship with the culture of beauty that was around me, but didn’t make space for me. As a result, I tried to beat my hair into submission to do what I thought it should do. I straightened it, I dyed it, I fried it.”

Though we have thankfully begun to see more actresses wear their natural hair on screen, many have been open about the fact that this evolution in front of the camera hasn’t been kept up with behind the scenes as often sets still don’t always provide a hairdresser that actually knows how to do textured hair. Though Joan was allowed to have her natural hair on screen, that didn’t mean that Tracee was saved from issues behind the scenes. The Bold Type’s Aisha Dee noted in a post on her Instagram, “The diversity we see in front of the camera needs to be reflected in the diversity of the creative team behind the camera. It took three seasons to get someone in the hair department who knew how to work with textured hair.” It’s an important reminder that diversity has to go beyond just the acceptance of aesthetics and also provide a real structure of support.

Conclusion

Curly hair has had its so-called ‘in’ and ‘out’ moments over the years, but no natural part of human bodies should ever be considered a trend. All hair – and even no hair – is cool and beautiful, and no one should be made to feel like they need to change something about themselves to fit in or be loved. And people have become more open about their love of their curly locks, and protective of them and willing to push back against the idea that they have to change their hair if they want to be seen as “professional” or “hot.”

“I honestly wish it was like that now. I have to say, anyone that has curly has right now that’s young: keep your curly hair, don’t straighten it.” Nicole Kidman

Curly hair is beautiful and full of life and fun, and embracing our curls opens us up to a whole new world of self-love and joy.