Recently I have noticed that the Avatar franchise had a lot of symbolism in hair. And I wanna know every single meaning of it, not just the part where Zuko and Iroh cut their topknots though. Do yall know any more hair symbolism in the avatar franchise? Let me know pls :see_no_evil:
oh and pls include a spoiler warning too uwu
Comments (2)
I think it’s based on Japanese culture. Shaving the head shows a loss of honor but the topknot is usually left as it’s considered sacred. So that’s why Zuko had a full head of hair up until he was banished. And cutting the topknot signified something akin to death or the end of an era of high status in their life.
(Btw I did a bit of research for this comment but most of it is just stuff I vaguely from random places lol)
I don’t know anything definitive... but I do find it interesting how the air nomads chose to shave their heads as a way to bring them closer to their element spiritually. Consider Aang in season 3, the time when we do see his hair grow out due to needing to disguise himself. Season 3 is when he also experiences the greatest overall doubt in himself—which one could maybe argue is a form of spiritual disconnection. It might be a coincidence that Aang HAD to hide himself... but that he had to hide himself is severing the connection between him and his people, so it could be a neat little visual representation of that.