Keri Russell’s Haircut in ‘Felicity’ Lead to This Controversy

Felicity made Keri Russell an instant star

Felicity It premiered in 1998 on The WB, which was already a big hit, attracting the teen market with a triumvirate of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, dawson’s bayAnd 7th heaven. Not bad for a network that only launched three years ago. The central character of the series is Felicity Jones, and the series follows Felicity as she leaves her home in Palo Alto, California to attend New York University, initially after a whim she fell in love with there in high school. However, what begins as a rash decision turns into a journey of self-discovery, and over the course of four seasons, we share experiences that shape who Felicity becomes.

The series was a hit online, and that first season brought Russell a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama Series and a Teen Choice Award. The series itself will win the People’s Choice Award for Favorite TV Drama. However, the audience was captivated by the appearance of Russell, and especially her long curly locks, which New York Times called “that magnificent head with voluminous golden hair.” The audience fell in love with Russell, but the second season showed how superficial this love was.

Felicity’s haircut started as a joke but ended in disaster

Notorious Felicity the haircut started out innocently enough, like a prank on the showrunners JJ Abrams And Matt Reeves. Noticing a little boy’s wig among the things that were being put away after the first season, Russell picked it up and, as she explains, “We put it on around 2:00 in the morning as a joke… and took a polaroid and in the summer we thought it would be really fun to send JJ (Abrams) and Matt (Reeves) and say, “I cut my hair - I hope you like it.” Absolutely in jest.” However, the look inspired the couple, and Abrams contacted Russell to see if she would actually consider cutting her hair. Russell was in the game and so the haircut started on camera, in the first episode of the second season, before finishing up after the scene was filmed. Because the episode ended before her new look was revealed, viewers had to wait for the second episode to assess the situation.

And they weighed in. God, did they ever speak their mind. Russell liked it, felt it suited the character at that point in the story, but she was outnumbered. Strangers approached Russell and said, “You were so handsome before you cut your hair,” among other negative comments. Brad Turell, a spokesperson for the World Bank, spoke of the harsh criticism the network received over the decision, saying, “We have received a lot of emails, letters and feedback from our friends in the industry who were fans of the show. People were disappointed and angry with us. and Keri for cutting off her hair. “Who made this decision?” they asked.” Abrams, rightly or not, took credit for the decision but admitted he was taken aback: “People rebelled against the look and show. She’s so gorgeous that we thought, ‘Who cares how long she is? hair?” The answer came pretty quickly.” Ratings for the second season dropped significantly, and although it was moved from Tuesday at 9 to Sunday at 8, and the story was darker, the blame was placed solely on the new actor.

Felicity’s haircut is a pop culture trial moment that reveals a terrible truth

When Russell’s hair began to come back, so did the audience, although he never achieved the success of the first season. However, the haircut moment became a touchstone moment in TV history, with “pulling Felicity” when a TV character does or thinks of a major hair change, joining “shark jumping” as an overused idiom and as a punchline for shows like 30 Rock And Family man. Since then, Russell has had a successful career, but remembers his infamous moment with a sense of humor. In the segment for Late Night with Seth Meyers titled “A Message to Myself as a Young Man”, Russell tells his younger self, “Your life is going to be so exciting, but whatever you do, don’t cut your hair short during the show’s second season.” felicity,she said. “No, I’m serious. People will be fucking excited. You will receive a hate mail. You will even receive death threats. But gradually your hair will grow back and your fans will forgive you, but you will never - and I repeat never - forgive your fans.”

The reaction speaks to a terrible truth that Russell herself realized: how an actress looks is more important than her talents. As remembered in New York TimesRussell said, “It must have been a boring year with so many people worrying about my hair.” It made me realize how physically present this character was.” Farrah Fawcett and her flowing blonde hair Charlie’s Angelsshe got the part because her hair had to contrast with her dark hair Keith Jackson And Jacqueline Smithaccording to the same Time article. Or how “Rachel” eclipsed superior comedic talent Jennifer Aniston V Friends. This story can be heard over and over again, and it almost exclusively concerns women in the industry. Change has been slow at best, but FelicityThe most shameful moment is the proof of the need for this.