You wouldn't think hair would have a significant role in that many movies, would you? But it does, and not just in one predictable way. Hair encompasses gender, class, race - and it's used as a signifier of all those things in movies, where often a change in hair signals a turning point for a character. Behind the scenes, it's significant in casting. I remember reading that the makers of The Joy Luck Club were challenged by using all Asian actors, because one way that casting directors make sure viewers will be able to tell characters apart is to choose actors with different color hair.
Anyway, on to some hair movies. I know this is far from exhaustive, but these are some of the most significant to me.
In John Waters' classic Hairspray, hair - ratted or ironed - becomes a symbol of the cultural battle between the movie's hero, rebel and integrationist Tracy Turnblad, and the conservative forces that oppose her.
In The Princess Diaries, perhaps the most important part of the transformation of Mia Thermopolis from disorganized nerd to sleek princess is having her hair straightened.
A haircut is a similarly transformative moment for Melanie Griffith's character in Working Girl - she changes from secretary to plausible executive largely by cutting and de-pouffing her hair.
Demi Moore shaves her own head in G.I. Jane, a haircut that demonstrates her determination to succeed where no woman has ever been allowed to go before. At the same time, because her character had been chosen for Navy SEAL training because she was perceived as feminine and non-lesbian, the haircut makes her a less politically acceptable pioneer.
Amy's response of "Jo, how could you, your one beauty!" to Jo's haircut in the 1994 version of Little Women reveals how miscast Winona Ryder was as Jo; if anyone ever looked more beautiful with all her hair cut off it's difficult to think who. Ok, maybe Mia Farrow.
Finally, in 1999 and 2001, two movies set at hairdressing competitions were released. Craig Ferguson's The Big Tease came first and was, in my opinion, inferior. Blow Dry, in 2001, stars Alan Rickman, Rachel Griffiths, Natasha Richardson, Josh Hartnett, Rachael Leigh Cook, and Bill Nighy, and manages both comedy and depth.
But I know there are dozens I'm not thinking of or haven't seen, and I rely upon you to tell us about them.