50 Wild, Free, and Fantastic Curly-Hair Icons
As anyone who has curly hair will tell you, it has a life of its own. Curly hair is often described with mildly negative, personality-driven adjectives, such as untamed, unbridled, rambunctious, boisterous, spunky, and wild, which can serve as a contrast or complement to the hair-owner’s sense of self. Whether worn as an act of rebellion or a celebration of comfort and come-as-you-are beauty, curly hair transcends color and comes with a whole set of associations that other hair types don’t. And although curly-hair animated heroines are still few and far-between, there’s no shortage of real-life curly-hair muses. Here are our 50 favorites ladies who celebrate and are celebrated for their natural texture; from beloved book characters like Miss Frizzle to teen idols like Jessie Spano, silver-screen stars, musicians, and more.
Nicole Kidman Uncomplicated curls before her life was complicated by Tom Cruise and Scientology.
Photo: Terry O’Neill/Getty Images
Andie MacDowell In many 1980s rom-coms, Andie's curls were beautiful, and she often played the role of the older, wiser, more-self-actualized lov...
Andie MacDowell In many 1980s rom-coms, Andie's curls were beautiful, and she often played the role of the older, wiser, more-self-actualized love interest (i.e., she let her hair be its wild self).
Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
Jessie Spano of
Saved by the Bell Proof that not all Type A types need to flat-iron their hair into submission.
Photo: NBC/Getty Images
Medusa The epitome of curls that cannot be tamed.
Photo: Heritage Images/Getty Images
Julia Roberts A cascade of curls to balance out her wide grin.
Photo: Steve.Granitz/Getty Images
Meg Ryan Before her shag ushered in the era of celebrity hairdressing (thanks in large part to Sally Hershberger), Meg was a little kooky — madca...
Meg Ryan Before her shag ushered in the era of celebrity hairdressing (thanks in large part to Sally Hershberger), Meg was a little kooky — madcap, even — and her hair was the proof.
Photo: Time Life Pictures/Getty Images
Lisa Bonet Lisa had hair that COULD NOT BE IGNORED. Long, natural, curly, and wild-child.
Photo: SGranitz/Getty Images
Taylor Swift This is the era of Taylor-as-pageant-queen hair. A time when hearts were broken, ballads were written, and millions were made from h...
Taylor Swift This is the era of Taylor-as-pageant-queen hair. A time when hearts were broken, ballads were written, and millions were made from her golden corkscrew curls.
Photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images
Botticelli Curly-hair inspiration before the age of Pinterest.
Photo: Print Collector/Getty Images
Evangeline Lilly If you're going to survive a catastrophic plane crash and years on a desert island with zero product, curly hair is actually the...
Evangeline Lilly If you're going to survive a catastrophic plane crash and years on a desert island with zero product, curly hair is actually the way to go — you're not really supposed to brush it anyway.
Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images
Hermione Granger of
Harry Potter Described in the books as not just curly but "bushy," Hermione's curls seem to contain all the frustr...
Hermione Granger of
Harry Potter Described in the books as not just curly but "bushy," Hermione's curls seem to contain all the frustration of a brilliant girl who was also a tad "too much."
Photo: MARTYN HAYHOW/Getty Images
Rita Hayworth Rita Cansino changed her name and dyed her brunette hair auburn, but the one thing that never changed was the texture of her hair.
...
Rita Hayworth Rita Cansino changed her name and dyed her brunette hair auburn, but the one thing that never changed was the texture of her hair.
Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Sarah Jessica Parker Square Peg, round ringlets.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Elizabeth Taylor 1960's most beautiful woman in the world always had violet eyes and curly hair.
Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Solange Knowles Solange's hair (and her scissor kicks) deserve to always roam free.
Photo: Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Stevie Nicks Stevie has done straight, curly, and wavy, but this fluffy version is worthy of Game of Thrones, and is, no doubt, full of secrets.
...
Stevie Nicks Stevie has done straight, curly, and wavy, but this fluffy version is worthy of Game of Thrones, and is, no doubt, full of secrets.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Miss Frizzle Your favorite teacher always had a soothing, imperfect mane of hair that matched her iguana.
Photo: Courtesy of Scholastic Media
Shakira Hips and hair follicles don't lie. Belly dancing is more fun and joyous when you also have a wild mane to swing around. Photo: George Pi...
Shakira Hips and hair follicles don't lie. Belly dancing is more fun and joyous when you also have a wild mane to swing around. Photo: George Pimentel/Getty Images
Diana Ross Diana's curly hair reigns Supreme.
Photo: Matthew Simmons/Getty Images
Lucille Ball Screwball comedy served with corkscrew curls. Photo: Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images
Shania Twain This singer sexified country music with her abs and tousled hair, all while feeling like a woman. Photo: New York Daily News Archiv...
Shania Twain This singer sexified country music with her abs and tousled hair, all while feeling like a woman. Photo: New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Mary Pickford In the era of silent films, her long ringlets were a voiceless symbol of virtue and her bob chop made bigger news than the Karlie K...
Mary Pickford In the era of silent films, her long ringlets were a voiceless symbol of virtue and her bob chop made bigger news than the Karlie Kut. She was the curly-haired inspiration for Shirley Temple's mom, who began styling her daughter's hair like the star's.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
Shirley Temple Buoyant in volume and 1930s cheer.
Photo: New York Daily News Archive/Getty Images
Shalom Harlow The only supermodel who survived the 90s with curly hair (mostly) intact.
Photo: J. Vespa/Getty Images
Keri Russell She felt so many teenage feelings and then felt them with her hair, when she chopped off her signature ringlets in the breakup cut h...
Keri Russell She felt so many teenage feelings and then felt them with her hair, when she chopped off her signature ringlets in the breakup cut heard 'round the world.
Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Mariah Carey Her persona and unmanufactured curls used to be as natural as her five-octave range.
Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Beyoncé Since her Destiny's Child debut, Beyoncé has had many weaves and hairstyles. This crimped mane is a visual recall of when s...
Beyoncé Since her Destiny's Child debut, Beyoncé has had many weaves and hairstyles. This crimped mane is a visual recall of when she was fresh on the musical scene as a girl from Texas whose mom owned a hair salon. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
Helena Bonham Carter Double curly-hair inspiration in this picture, courtesy of Merchant-Ivory.
Photo: Terry O’Neill/Getty Images
Molly Ringwald Her sometimes curly, sometimes straight hair spoke to her role as the atypical, imperfect John Hughes romantic comedy teen star.
...
Molly Ringwald Her sometimes curly, sometimes straight hair spoke to her role as the atypical, imperfect John Hughes romantic comedy teen star.
Photo: Steve Granitz/Getty Images
Susan Sarandon Curls that just get better with age.
Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
Michelle Pfeiffer She was the femme fatale Catwoman when her hair was concealed, but the every girl (albeit with piercing cheekbones) when she wa...
Michelle Pfeiffer She was the femme fatale Catwoman when her hair was concealed, but the every girl (albeit with piercing cheekbones) when she was the curly-haired Selina Kyle.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images
Geena Davis Her full brow and old Hollywood curls put her in a league of her own.
Photo: SGranitz/Getty Images
Becky Sharp of
Vanity Fair A social-climber with an agenda as unwavering as her coiled hair.
Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Bette Midler Her hair and general chutzpah is the wind beneath our wings.
Photo: Jim Spellman/Getty Images
Glenn Close Somehow her curly hair made her more believable as the scary-sexy star of Fatal Attraction.
Photo: Ron Galella/Getty Images
Litte Orphan Annie A follicular symbol of spunkiness and neglect.
Photo: Bruce Glikas/Getty Images
Annie Clark Her fashion icon is Albert Einstein, and her short crop (with bangs) is brilliant in an unthinking and unstudied way.
Photo: Fred Ha...
Annie Clark Her fashion icon is Albert Einstein, and her short crop (with bangs) is brilliant in an unthinking and unstudied way.
Photo: Fred Hayes/Getty Images
Lorde She doesn't conform to your beauty standards and doesn't ask for perfect fake skin, a new nose, or straight hair either. Photo: Dimitrios ...
Lorde She doesn't conform to your beauty standards and doesn't ask for perfect fake skin, a new nose, or straight hair either. Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
Noémie Lenoir One of the first Sports Illustrated models with real curls, not beachy waves.
Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images
Merida in
Brave The first animated curly-hair heroine, whose unbridled curls represented her bravery.
Photo: Disney/Pixar
Thandie Newton She stopped straightening her hair to teach her daughters that natural curls are beautiful.
Photo: Richard Lewis/Getty Images
Kate Hudson Back when she was Almost Famous. Photo: Time & Life Pictures/Getty Images
Corinne Bailey Rae A gentle mane of hair as soothing and natural as her coffeehouse-staple music. Photo: Rob Kim/Getty Images
Kate Winslet in
Titanic Never let go ... of those curls, Rose.
Photo: Archive Photos/Getty Images
Esperanza Spalding She burst onto the scene in 2011, winnning the Grammy for Best New Artist, and into a place in our curly-haired consciousness....
Esperanza Spalding She burst onto the scene in 2011, winnning the Grammy for Best New Artist, and into a place in our curly-haired consciousness.
Photo: Michael Bezjian/Getty Images
Jennifer Beals She was only a true maniac when her curls were as frenetic and energetic as her dance moves.
Photo: John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema...
Jennifer Beals She was only a true maniac when her curls were as frenetic and energetic as her dance moves.
Photo: John D. Kisch/Separate Cinema Ar/Getty Images
Bernadette Peters Her hair has been described as having "exploding-pasta exuberance."
Photo: Jim Spellman/Getty Images
Holly Hunter Her bohemian waves provide a contrast to her penchant for playing characters with steely-eyed reserve.
Photo: KMazur/Getty Images
Kyra Sedgwick Curls that derive power and make us want to come Closer.
Photo: Jason LaVeris/Getty Images
Minnie Driver The only hunting necessary in connection with Minnie Driver is for her anti-aging beauty routine and hair-product recommendations.
...
Minnie Driver The only hunting necessary in connection with Minnie Driver is for her anti-aging beauty routine and hair-product recommendations.
Photo: Paul Archuleta/Getty Images
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