Thread by @Paperclip_In

On Star Wars Day, we look back at how the daredevil women of the early 20th century Mexican Revolution inspired Princess Leia's iconic cinnamon hair buns. 1/13 #MayThe4thBeWithYou

The beginning of 20th century saw the monumental uprising of thousands of Mexicans against their federal government. During his 8th term as dictator, Porfirio Díaz Mori faced spirited resistance from his countrymen. 2/13

The surprise element in the Mexican Revolution came from the women soldiers - Las Adelitas or Las Soldaderas (women who sustained the Spanish army in the early 16th century during the Spanish conquest of Mexico) as they were commonly referred to. 3/13

Mexico had long had an authoritative patriarchal society with substantial Catholic influence. The women in the society were supposed to follow the traditional gender roles. 4/13

Under Diaz’s dictatorship, women were not granted any form of citizenship as stated in the Mexican Constitution of 1857, i.e., they didn’t have the right to vote or criticise the federal government. 5/13

However, at the turn of the century, the dawn of the Revolution presented an opportunity for the women to break the restrictions and be in charge of their own life. 6/13

Among the notable figures of the revolution, the name that stood out most was “Generala” Petra Herrera, the commander of a group of almost 1,000 soldaderas. 7/13

Under her command, a brigade of nearly 400 women assisted Pancho Villa, a key revolutionary figure of the war, to capture the city of Torreón from Diaz’s regime. 8/13

This particular group of women drew the stereotypical epitome of Mexican women: sexy and dangerous. They dressed in floor-length skirts, long sleeved V-neck shirts with bullets strapped across the chest and guns buckled around the waist, and cowboy hats. 9/13

The most contrasting phenomenon of their appearance though lay in the way they made their hair; a pair of cinnamon hair buns on the opposite side of the head. 10/13

In an interview with Time Magazine later in 2002, George Lucas, the creator of the Star Wars franchise said “In the 1977 film, I was working very hard to create something different that wasn’t fashion,…”. 11/13

“…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.” 12/13

Such was the impact of that unique pair of hair buns that four decades since the first installment of the epic Star Wars saga appeared on-screen, people are still referring to YouTube videos to perfect the iconic look. 13/13

Sources:
reneenicolegray.medium.com/the-secret-to-…
bbc.com/news/world-us-…
teenvogue.com/story/the-real…
eluniversal.com.mx/english/brave-…