The Symbolism of Hair in Frozen and Frozen II and What Writers Can Learn From It
Written by Emily Pearce
Spoiler warning: the whole films are discussed in this post and major spoilers are present.
I started out my adult life as a hairstylist. As a result, I often pay attention to hairstyles when watching movies and plays, and I try to figure out how they would have been done. Frozen II provides a lot of new hairstyles for the main characters throughout the course of the film. You may already know that Elsa’s hair plays a big role in characterizing her growth and development as a character. Many authors overly rely on using hair color as the only descriptor for character hair. However, using hairstyle—something the character actually chooses—is a more concrete way to set your characters apart and build up their characterization. In studying how Elsa’s hair contributes to her characterization, there are many things to be learned about using hair as a way to add more depth to your characters.
The Coronation Hairstyle
The Hairstyle. Elsa starts out in Frozen with her hair in a beautiful rolled updo—the same hairstyle her mother wore. This tells us several things about Elsa’s character. The first thing it reveals is that Elsa has clearly taken her mother’s place. Her parents died young, and Elsa was forced to take responsibility of the kingdom before she was ready. At this point, Elsa adopts the hairstyle her mother had, when previously she had been shown to wear her hair in one simple braid as a child and a young adult. Whether or not the coronation hairstyle is traditionally what the queen wears in Arendelle, wearing this hairstyle would remind Elsa of her mother. If this were a novel, we might learn how Elsa feels about this—if wearing the hairstyle comforts her or makes her sad. Since it is a film and we don’t know Elsa’s internal thoughts, we have to guess based on what we see.
Arendelle. What we do know is that no other person in the kingdom of Arendelle aside from the crowned queen wears this hairstyle. In their society, it’s certainly a hairstyle that sets the queen apart from the rest of the kingdom. During the coronation ball, we get a better glimpse into the hairstyles of the castle workers and villagers. All of the female employees have their hair pulled in a simple low bun with a cap on top of their head. The female villagers sport that look as well or a simple braid down their backs, similar to the one Elsa wears as a child. The village children are seen with pigtails, similar to the way Anna wore her hair as a child, or leave their hair down. The female royalty who attend the coronation (except for Rapunzel) wear their hair in one of two braided bun hairstyles different from both Anna and Elsa.
The Impact on Elsa. If we compare the way that Elsa reacts to her coronation to the way that Anna reacts to her coronation, both wearing the same hairstyle, we can get the sense of how Elsa feels in her role as a queen. It’s not just about what the hairstyle says, but how the character reacts to it. Elsa often looks nervous and uneasy in the coronation hairstyle, while Anna is happy and content with herself in that same hairstyle. This tells us that however Elsa feels about the hairstyle and her role as queen, she does not feel completely comfortable with it. Anna, on the other hand, who has always been desperate for a familial connection, likely feels more connected to her mother and sister because of the hairstyle, and this is shown through how comfortable and happy she appears in the end of Frozen II.
The Signature Braid
The Hairstyle. Once Elsa “lets go” of her hairstyle and puts it into her signature braid, we can see that she immediately feels more comfortable with herself. This change of hairstyle symbolizes Elsa’s control of her life and acceptance of her powers. This new hairstyle is looser and less structured than the coronation hairstyle. Elsa is no longer the picture of an Arendelle queen—she has claimed her own identity.
Arendelle and Northuldra. Braids are a popular hairstyle in the kingdom of Arendelle, as well as with the Northuldra people. As mentioned before, many women in Arendelle wear their hair in simple braids down their backs. In Northuldra, the character Yelena wears her hair half up, half down, with a small braid on the side, and the rest of the Northuldra women wear caps. Anna herself incorporates braids into many of her hairstyles. Although many other characters are seen wearing their hair in braids, Elsa’s braid is unique. Her braid, rather than being a simple braid down the back or a small braid incorporated into another hairstyle, spirals across the back of her head diagonally. This type of braid is not seen on any other character.
The Impact on Elsa. It is in this hairstyle that Elsa finally learns to accept herself for who she is and accept her powers. Just as a braid is looser than the complicated updo of the coronation hairstyle but still structured—a balance between the two—Elsa has found a balance in her life. Elsa likes this hairstyle so much that she keeps it for the next three years. This hairstyle is certainly Elsa’s signature hairstyle, and cosplayers and Disney character workers alike have sported this unique braid.
The Ponytail
The Hairstyle. While Elsa’s braid did a lot for her, it is no longer suitable when she decides to face Ahtohallan alone. Elsa’s journey in Frozen II takes her further away from the civilization and structure of Arendelle and closer to the wildness of nature. When she confronts the North Sea, Elsa pulls out her braid and puts her hair into a ponytail, which has less structure than her braid, but enough that it will be out of the way as she fights her way across the sea.
Arendelle and Northuldra. In Arendelle and Northuldra, no other characters are seen wearing this simple ponytail hairstyle. This shows us that Elsa has broken with the norms and rules of her society and is on a quest for something more.
The Impact on Elsa. We can see with the progression from her braid to her ponytail that Elsa is slowly freeing herself from structured hairstyles but is still holding on to one last bit of it. The fact that no other character is seen wearing a ponytail sets Elsa apart from her society and prepares her (and perhaps the audience) for her new role as a nature spirit.
Free-flowing Locks
The Hairstyle. When Elsa makes it to Ahtohallan and accepts her place as the fifth nature spirit, her hair is completely loose. Her free-flowing, unstructured hair symbolizes how she has become wilder—a part of nature.
Arendelle and Northuldra. While there are many other characters who wear their hair down, it is important to note that no other royal woman wears her hair loose. Not even Anna, who wears her hair down with a braid (somehow impossibly) wrapped around the back of her head. This shows us that Elsa is distancing herself from her royal responsibilities and the norms of royalty.
The Impact on Elsa. When Elsa sees her mother, her mother smiles approvingly—accepting Elsa and her wild, magical nature and showing Elsa that she is exactly who she needs to be—that she is enough just as she is. The revelations in Ahtohallan allow Elsa to find and accept her true self. When Elsa’s life is restored and she returns to Anna, her appearance evokes the image of Gandalf the White, and it seems her character has gone through a similar transformation. Elsa has become a transcendent being, unconstrained by society and at one with nature. This is further exemplified when Elsa decides to make her home in the north with the Northuldra Tribe, the nature spirits, and Ahtohallan.
Application for Storytellers
As you can see, using hair as a visual symbol is an excellent way to provide depth to a character and to show their progression throughout the course of their story. As explained in Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory, “Pavio suggests that the literature of writers like Shakespeare and Coleridge is best comprehended and appreciated when readers visualize. He holds that symbolic, verbal images that are visualized can serve as protoypes in memory, which can assist the reader in textual recollection and manipulation.”[i] Symbolism is a way writers can help their readers better visualize and remember things that happen in the story.
A character’s hair can symbolize their place in society, a connection to their family or culture, and even their innocence, depending on the social context.
For example, in historical fiction set in the 1800s, the social context is that young girls wear their hair down and loose, whereas a woman who has come of age will wear her hair up. This signifies her place in society.
In the Hunger Games series, braids are used to represent youth and innocence. Peeta says that Katniss wore her hair in two braids when she was little, but after her father died and she had to take on the responsibility of keeping her family alive, she wore her hair in one braid. This is echoed in her younger sister, Prim, who wears her hair in two braids in the beginning of the series, but after Katniss returns from the Games, Prim begins to wear her hair in one braid. Prim has experienced the trauma of watching her sister fight to the death and has accepted responsibility of helping her mother take care of wounded patients. The transition from two braids to one in both Katniss and Prim symbolizes a loss of innocence.
Other characters in literature whose hair plays a big role in their characterization includes:
- Hermione, Tonks, the Weasleys, and Harry and James Potter from the Harry Potter series
- Anne from Anne of Green Gables
- Hagar in Song of Solomon
Each of these characters has a different relationship with their hair, what it means to them, how the society around them reacts to their hair, and how it changes throughout the course of the story.
Hair is an expression of who we are: our personal tastes, whether we like to fit in or stand out, and our priorities in life. By using hair as a way to symbolize these aspects of your characters, you can add depth and make your characters feel more real and more interesting.
At Writer Therapy, our Story Analysts review stories to help authors, screenwriters, and playwrights. If you have a specific story you’d like us to look at, feel free to contact us.
[i] Routledge Encyclopedia of Narrative Theory, edited by David Herman, Manfred Jahn, and Marie-Laure Ryan. New York: Routledge, 2008. p. 633.
