Princess Leia’s iconic buns were inspired by the women of the Mexican Revolution, most notably guerrilla fighter Clara de la Rocha

In A New Hope, Princess Leia completed her look with an iconic hairstyle. It gave her a regal appearance that distinguished her among the Rebels.

You may not know it, but that hairstyle was inspired by women of the Mexican Revolution, especially Clara de la Rocha. Read on to find out more. 

Princess Leia’s Iconic Bun Hairstyle

Princess Leia’s bun hairstyle has historical roots. George Lucas indicated in an interview that he “went with a kind of Southwestern Pancho Villa woman revolutionary look” for Leia’s hair. 

The Mexican revolutionary Clara de la Rocha matches that description the best. The de la Rocha hairstyle may not have been common in the early 20th century, but it gave Leia a distinctive look.

As princess of Alderaan and member of the Imperial Senate, Leia needed to stand out among her peers and enemies. We first saw her in the opening moments of A New Hope storing away the Death Star plans in R2-D2.

Yet, perhaps her look stood out more in this rescue scene with Luke Skywalker, as she joined the central characters to escape and overthrow the Empire. 

This look helped embolden Leia in the same way that Clara de la Rocha stood out as a soldadera. As this site indicates, the hairstyle may be traced back to the Hopi Native group in the American Southwest.

According to this article, Hopi women “culturally wore the style called Butterfly Whorls or Squash Blossom Whorls” to designate they were maidens who were “prepared to be wedded.” 

Clara de la Rocha adopted that maiden look but added a warrior element. She became known as a fearless rebel fighter.

In turn, the Rebel Leia fulfilled a similar role in Star Wars by borrowing from the soldier-women of Mexico. 

Just as Leia was “fearless in battle,” so were “Mexico’s female revolutionaries known as soldaderas.” Clara de la Rocha was a prominent soldadera who fought against the dictator Porfirio Diaz from 1910 to 1920.

The coiled buns photo shown on this site may have been staged, and not what she wore in battle, but it provided a distinctive look that made its way into the Star Wars saga.

How Else Has Star Wars Used History?

Fans appreciate the historical and cultural elements of Star Wars. One post here writes about how the original films blended “Japanese culture and films” with World War II “aerial combat films” to bring out the TIE Fighter and X-Wing battles.

Leia’s hairstyle is “just one more thing to add” to an already impressive list. 

Many of us are aware of the use of World War II as a major influence on Star Wars, including stormtroopers.

Nazi Germany was used to frame the Empire and the First Order. We can see the rise of Palpatine in parallel with real-life Hitler. 

Going with the above comment about X-Wing battles, Lucas “studied over 25 hours of footage from World War II dogfights.”

This article also conveys how the Millennium Falcon’s cockpit was based on that of a B-29 bomber and P-51 Mustangs provided sound effects for Star Wars spaceships.

Fans point out other interesting ways that Star Wars has drawn on history. One post describes how in “Tales of the Jedi the original Sith species was heavily based on ancient Egypt/Aztec civilizations.”

Another one in this discussion compares the Battle of Mimban with “the western front of WW1” with “the trenches, heavy mud and random explosions.” 

So, Leia’s iconic buns being shaped by the Mexican Revolution makes sense and fits right in with how Star Wars uses history. 

Leia’s Hairstyle and History

Princess Leia’s iconic bun hairstyle traces its origins to Mexican women revolutionaries like Clara de la Rocha. It was also inspired by Native American culture and how de la Rocha adopted that look. Like other aspects of Star Wars, Leia’s character became complete by drawing on history.