Snaps's hair (Was: W.A.F.F.L.E.S. )

[justcarol67]

No: HPFGUIDX 142626

Lucianam wrote:
> 
> What about long hair being mysterious (in Snape's case)?? I think it
is, not only it instantly makes you a better Occlumens - hides
emotions, as lealess said - but keeps your features in the shadows.
Only I don't know if Snape likes to keep his face in the shadows
because he thinks he's ugly or because he likes the Mystery aura. I 
suspect it's the second reason, Snape doesn't strike me as someone 
who's unconfortable with his looks. <snip>

Carol responds:
Yes, the long hair goes nicely with his inscrutable expression (which
I've promised Kemper that I'll look into more deeply at a later date).
As I posted elsewhere, I think he's cultivated his current aura and
appearance, which differ markedly from his round-shouldered nerdiness
as a boy. Power or authority and mystery, with a touch of elegance as
well in his diction and his sweeping movements (greatly aided by a
billowing cloak). Posters keep associating his long hair with the 60s
or 70s, but I think it's unrelated to modern Muggle fashion trends. It
seems to me to fit well with wizarding robes, which reflect medieval
dress (Hogwarts uniforms seem to be modeled on Oxford academic gowns
from around the time the college was founded in 1249, and Snape's
robes, except for his cloak and the absence of a hat, seem to resemble
the students' uniforms--which are not open in front as depicted in the
films and MGP's drawings). Medieval men from, say, the 11th through
thirteenth centuries, would also have worn ankle-length cloaks much
like Snape's. 

If we look at medieval hairstyles from a slightly later period, say
the mid-fifteenth to early sixteenth centuries, the men from this
period are clean-shaven and have shoulder-length hair. (Look at the
paintings of the English kings Henry VI, Edward IV, Richard III, and
Henry VII.) So I think that Snape's hairstyle, like his clothing,
reflects WW tradition. (As for Dumbledore, with his waist-length hair
and beard and his multi-colored robes, I'm always reminded of a rather
Disneyfied Merlin. Again, very medieval, if not exactly an authentic
historical figure and dating, if he were real, from the late Roman
period.)

Lucianam wrote:
> May I take this opportunity to applaud the highly competent person
who came up with Movie!Snape's visual concept. When I think they could
have followed Mary Grandpre's drawings!! Movie Snape is just spot on -
hair included.

Carol responds:
I'm sure the List Elves will forgive an "I agree" here since I added a
whole paragraph of slightly more substantive WAFFLE above. It's as if
the casting and makeup designers had read "Spinner's End," seeing
Snape without Harry's perspective uglifying him. (The costume
designers messed up on the tight sleeves and knee-length coat in place
of floor-length robes with wider sleeves, though. Movie!Snape looks as
if he should be called upon to deliver a sermon.)

Regarding Sirius Black (whom I am not swooning over, sorry, Sirius
fans). I think he has long, matted hair in PoA simply because he's
been in Azkaban, and logically he should have a long, matted beard to
go with it. Clearly the Dementors weren't passing out tooth paste,
shampoo, and shaving cream, and they certainly didn't come around with
hair-cutting or shaving spells. (They should have had wizard
assistants to do the job since Dementors are blind and don't use
wands.) Exactly how he comes by a shorter haircut when he's still on
the run in GoF and still doesn't own a wand is a bit of a mystery.

To return to Snape, he doesn't have access to a barber at Hogwarts,
but maybe there's one in Hogsmeade? Or he gets a haircut once a year
on summer holiday? I'm assuming that he shaves himself daily with his
wand and perhaps even cuts his own hair with a similar spell. If so, a
shoulder-length blunt cut would be a lot more practical than a shorter
cut involving bangs (a fringe) and trimmed sideburns and layering the
hair on the back of the head. A less complex application of the spell,
less concentration required. (Please realize that I'm not wholly
serious here.)

Carol, who once tried to trim her ex-husband's hair with electric
clippers and zipped off a whole sideburn (no, that didn't cause the
divorce!)