by Stephanie Chatfield
When Time magazine asked George Lucas about Princess Leia’s distinctive hairstyle in Star Wars, he explained:
“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 turn-of-the-century Mexico. Then it took such hits and became such a thing.”
While Lucas cited Mexican revolutionaries as his inspiration, the origin of Leia’s iconic side buns isn’t quite so straightforward. In a post titled The Curious Case of Leia’s Rolls, Kitbashed.com explores the hairstyle’s possible roots. Author Michael Heilemann notes the absence of such buns in photographs of actual female revolutionaries from that era. However, he does highlight a 1906 image titled A Hopiland Beauty, which bears a stronger resemblance to Padmé Amidala’s look in Episode II.
Leia’s hairstyle, it turns out, may not come from a single source at all. Instead, it’s likely a blend of visual cues: Batgirl (a.k.a. Dr. Barbara Gordon) and Queen Fria from the Flash Gordon comics also sport double buns.
Interestingly, this twin-bun style also appears in Pre-Raphaelite-inspired art. In John William Waterhouse’s painting The Crystal Ball, a woman is seen in profile with a central part and one visible bun—strongly suggesting a mirrored bun on the other side.
Leia’s look is more than just a hairstyle. Dressed in flowing white, she visually opposes Darth Vader’s ominous black armor. Despite the futuristic setting of Star Wars—“a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away”—Leia’s aesthetic feels grounded in the past. Her gowns echo medieval silhouettes, subtly nodding to the romantic, ethereal style often seen in Pre-Raphaelite art.
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