Wicked (2024) has been one of the biggest movies of this season. Receiving an 88% on Rotten Tomatoes, Wicked has garnered a lot of praise from critics and audiences. From the sets to the performances and choreography, Wicked captivated viewers in so many ways. One thing that many viewers, especially Black viewers, noticed immediately was Elphaba’s hair.
One of the biggest themes that gets touched on in Wicked is discrimination and privilege. Elphaba faced judgment and harassment from others due to her green skin, while her roommate, the blond-haired Galinda, gains popularity and success easily. Despite the racial themes of the musical, in the 22-year history of the show, only one black woman has played Elphaba full-time.
In 2021, Black fans of the musical were excited to learn that Tony-winner Cynthia Erivo had been cast as Elphaba in the movie. This excitement multiplied in 2024 when the teaser trailer was released and showed Erivo’s Elphaba with micro braids.
Box braids are a popular protective hairstyle amongst Black women and femmes. Protective styles are hairstyles that keep textured, kinky hair protected from breakage, weather, and rigorous maintenance. Due to the uniqueness of Black hair, protective styles have been a hallmark within Black culture. There are dozens of different protective styles with micro box braids being one of many. The actresses playing Elphaba have always had a long, straight-textured wig for the character, however when cast, Erivo specifically asked for her version to have micro braids. Erivo wanted her depiction of the character to still have her iconic long, flowy hair while connecting Elphaba to Erivo’s blackness.
Historically, Black hairstyles have faced scrutiny by Western society. This sentiment was carried over into the film industry. As Bianca Gracie explains in her article for the Zoe Report, in the past, Black protagonists were given straight, “neat” hair, while braids and textured hair was reserved for the “ghetto” characters. While shows like Moesha, Girlfriends, and Insecure have paved the way for hair representation on screen, Hollywood still has a long way to go.
Black viewers have gone to social media to express their appreciation for Elphaba’s hair styling. Lee-Anne Willoux, one of the hairstylists that helped braid Elphaba’s wig, posted a TikTok showing the behind-the-scenes of the wig, which received over 100,000 likes and hundreds of positive comments thanking her for bringing the hairstyle to life. Many Black fans were able to see themselves through Elphaba and feel joyful, which is due to the movie’s intentional choice to positively portray Black culture. The diversity and beauty of black hairstyles deserve to be accurately represented on screens. Hopefully, Erivo’s Elphaba will create space for even more on-screen representation in the future.