The Power and Terror of Claire Underwood’s Hair

                                            <b>Claire Underwood&rsquo;s hair holds all the secrets of the White House.</b> Spoilers abound.                                                         

Nathaniel E Bell / Via Netflix

(Before you begin, I’m warning you there are third season spoilers ahead. You’ve been sufficiently warned.)

There are particular movements you may do without noticing, thousands of times in your life. Tucking hair behind your ear, twirling a strand while you write, blowing it out of your face while you move. The run, the twirl, the pull. We negotiate dead strands with living fingers, pampering and twisting, brushing, the comb. A drastic haircut in times of change, a dye job for rebellion. There is something freeing about watching all your hair fall to the floor around you to the hum of a clipper or the slice of a scissor — metaphorically and physically, everything is gone. The wind is at your neck, now move.

That cutthroat efficiency is why so many professional women choose the crop, and it’s likely part of the reason behind Claire Underwood’s on House of Cards. Can you imagine her with a perpetually blown-out sea of hair? She has, instead, the corporate mom cut: the cutthroat sister of the soccer mom, unconnected to the Rachel, and only distantly related to the manic pixie dream girl the way humans are related to Hades in hell. Since the beginning of the series, her look has been ambiguous: short but not unstylish, capable and cool. It is a constant in the series the way the balance of power is not. It shifts only slightly to suit occasions — a swirl for a ball, something butch when the occasion may call. But never anything too drastic, and nothing noticeable, or worse: distracting.

David Giesbrecht / Via Netflix

She is, for the first two seasons, the quiet doom of the show, her feelings iced over to protect her and her own. In fact, the only time you really see her fret about her hair for most of the series is Season 2: a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it breakdown on the stairs. And even then, she pats her hair like she’s clamping down her emotions — a knot in her throat and then she’s gone. Later in that episode, Claire’s seen rowing in her bedroom, shown from the back of her head: steady pace, not a hair out of place, dark hair growing at the roots, fading up to the frost. If Mellie is the Southern hospitality first lady on Scandal, with big hair full of secrets and rage and grief, Underwood is the chill of the Capitol’s halls. There’s nothing to see here, carry on.

On so many other shows, there’s a conscious unspoken maintenance of traditional womanhood — even in the direst of times, a girl’s gotta have a blowout. The maintenance of a woman is just par for the course of television, or has been for too long. (It is not the case with Shondaland, but that is another think piece, for another time.) The perpetual blowout, though, is not for Claire Underwood. She has no length of hair that needs it. She is kept, yes, always, but not because she has a secret team of hairstylists living at home to plot with, but because she’s cultivated a life so slim and brutally self-determined it’s not necessary. She can get up and go, quietly and whenever she decides is the perfect time. When she does decide to move, it’s with the silent death an iceberg is to a ship off course. You don’t see it coming until it hits you. The foundation of her character, actually, is being this kind of inevitable, unmoving force. David Fincher gave Robin Wright this single directive about the Claire he wanted to see on the screen: “Don’t move. Don’t move. Claire is a bust.”

Via Netflix

In Season 3, all of this shifts rapidly — both her cool facade and her hair, too. Claire Underwood has a heart now, and it makes her visibly sick. She hovers over the kitchen sink after asking for help from Francis. She wears more silks now, soft fabrics for a softer, unsure woman she’s never been before. For so long, we saw her as this stalwart, inevitable force. Now we see her fidgeting: hands always in the air, or trying to go for a run — pacing, or glancing, isolated from Francis where before she had always been luxuriously, wholly, alone.

We see her stumbling to find her own power as U.N. ambassador and use the discomfiture of being a woman to get it: We see her fixing her makeup while negotiating with the Russian ambassador. We see her peeing and talking coolly to him about the president at the same time. And later, we see her too, discussing hair color and voter preference with the presidential campaign staff. “Iowa voters love the blonde,” an advisor says, and Claire takes a moment to mourn her freshly brunette locks, before returning to her ice blonde. It’s not entirely blonde, though — the roots at the neck are deep brunette, like she couldn’t quite let them go. The unspoken efficiency of her appearance in the past few seasons has shifted into a conscious, calculated power move in a way it hadn’t been before. Her power isn’t really hers now, not anymore. Before, she was an iceberg, a marble bust, half of the atom bomb of the Underwood duo. But now, not so much.

In the final episodes of the latest season, Claire’s hair becomes frenetically colored: her hair color changes from brunette to icy blonde, to streaked and highlighted sand, as if it can’t quite decide when to stop. She’s come undone. She’s walked out on Francis, wind at her neck. Time to run.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/arabellesicardi/the-hair-warfare-on-house-of-cards

We Tried Out Pinterest Hair Tutorials And This Is What Happened

                                            <b>Looks like things are about to get Pinteresting.</b>                                                         
Nathan W. Pyle for BuzzFeed / Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

2. With Pinterest being one of the most popular beauty resources, we got five women with different hair types to try out the most popular DIY hairstyles.

Thinkstock

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: I’m Jewish so I got that Jew hair: longish, darkish, curlyish, frizzyish.

Kirsten: I have short, thick, wavy hair. I’ve never been very into doing my hair, so this is going to be interesting for me. I’ll be excited if I can find some quick, easy hairstyles.

Candace: Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve been “blessed” with more hair than I can handle. It always air-dries into a a grown-ass Simba mane.

Kristin: I have long, fine, curly hair. If it’s too long I look like a cocker spaniel; if it’s too short, it frizzes up and I look like a clown. I am bad at Pinterest, so I do not have high hopes for this.

Sheridan: Well, I’m black. But really, I like to describe my hair as “What the fuck are you?” It does this weird curly-wavy-straight thing and there’s a reason why I see my hairdresser as often as possible.

4. The Half-Crown Braid Tutorial from Hair Romance from the front…

Christina Butcher / hairromance.com

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

 

6. …and from the back:

Christina Butcher / hairromance.com

Macey Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: Not to be Allison Bragg, but I was pretty sure this one was going to be easy for me since I’ve been known to dabble in the braid crown. My technique is typically the poor man’s version of this, so I was a little thrown off, but overall it was pretty easy.

Kirsten: This one isn’t bad. I mean, I am pretty bad at hair, but I can conquer a braid, so this one wasn’t terrible for me. Though I do wish I had some Rapunzel locks to make this look cooler.

Candace: Braiding is actually a way for me to pin down the puffiness of my hair. It was hard to determine how much hair to actually grab though. I was really proud of my braids, so I discovered I DID get something out of Girl Scouts.

Kristin: I got lucky. I got so lucky. I was not expecting this turn out OK and THEN IT TOTALLY DID. I haven’t seen it from the back, but I suspect I am living the American hair dream. Also, taking this out was easier than putting this in.

Sheridan: Like WTF kind of black magic is this shit? The chick’s hair looks FLAWLESS in the tutorial, and if she’s gonna tell me she didn’t blow-dry, straighten, then perfectly wave the bottom in order to have a good base to do this, then buh-bye. In the end, it didn’t look as terrible as I thought it would, but let’s be honest, this style is for longer hair.

8. The Two-Minute Updo With a Headband from Hello Natural

Hello Natural / hellonatural.co

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: LOL! We all looked like George Washington or judges from the 18th century.

Kirsten: Is my rat tail out? My ears kept poking out like that girl from Lord of the Rings. Actually, just Orlando Bloom. But like a not-hot version. Also, this did not take me two minutes. This could come out at any second. Actually — like right now, it is coming out right now.

Candace: I think my hair is just too damn thick for the Pinterest lifestyle. I aimed for 1920s chic, but because of how bad I am with hair, I got George Washington mixed with Princess Leia.

Kristin: I think this only takes two minutes if you are good at things, which I am not. Also, my hair is way too fine for this. I feel like I’m wearing a hat. Allison and Kirsten look good, though.

Sheridan: I feel like it’s the Regency era and I’m a Bennet sister but no one mentions me because I’m worse than Lydia.

10. The Easy Hair Bow from Beautylish

Alicia Hentemann / beautylish.com

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: I was so excited for this one because it’s a BOW MADE OF HAIR, GUYS! But it ended up looking like three buns on the top of my head. Whatever, I’m not mad at it. Going to try this every day for the rest of 2015 and see if I can perfect it. Hoping to really nail it down as my summer look.

Kirsten: I feel like this is a hairstyle that I would see on Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century. Or maybe Ariana Grande would wear this and people would look at you like, “How does that girl not have a headache?”

Candace: I swear, it is pretty much impossible for me to line something up perfectly in the center of my head. I need to live in the ’80s where everything was to the side. I’m proud because I could actually get a semi-decent bow, but the lopsidedness was so sad, so, so sad.

Kristin: Look, I’ve always wanted to join the Mickey Mouse Club, so this worked out fine for me.

Sheridan: LOL. No.

12. The Half-Up Criss-Cross Updo from Ma Nouvelle Mode from the side…

Natalia Simmons / manouvellemode.com

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

Macey J Forornda for BuzzFeed

 

14. …and from the back:

Natalia Simmons / manouvellemode.com

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: I don’t get this one at all. It’s just like a half pony thing? Also teasing my hair is a big mistake, and I know not to go there.

Kirsten: When I teased my hair that gave me a nice “after sex” look, but not the kind you want, the kind where you run into the bathroom and fix yourself so the person isn’t terrified of you.

Candace: So, I feel like Snooki pre-baby right now, and I’m ready for my duckface selfie. You’re supposed to tease your hair for more volume in the tutorial, and I should have known not to do that based on how poofy my hair already is.

Kristin: This took me three tries. I tried so hard, you guys, but all I got was mad bumps. My hair just didn’t wanna. No amount of back-combing was gonna make this happen for me. Now I just have a head full of frizz.

Sheridan: So, according to the tutorial, short hair girls can totally rock this hairstyle, and I have to say…doesn’t look too terrible. The teasing was my favorite part — it brought me back to my picturesque New Jersey childhood in which bumps were REQUIRED. I wish I had a little bit straighter hair just so that the sides would look less frizzy and a little more ~sleek~ but I didn’t hate this so SUCCESS.

16. The Straightened Braid Waves Tutorial from Hey Wanderer

Hey Wanderer / heywandererblog.com

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

 

Allison: This made me look like I’m in an ’80s hair band. I guess it’s supposed to curl your hair, but it kind of straightened mine?

Kirsten: I think I should have tried larger braids because I kinda look like I got electrocuted. This hairstyle was described as “after beach” wavy and I look like “after I got caught in the undertow” wavy.

Candace: Welp, I was super excited about this, thinking, “YAS I can finally do my hair in under an hour.” Wrong, so wrong. I ended up getting this, like, ’00s middle school crimped-lion hybrid. I made my natural waves turn into teeny tiny riptides. I feel like I have no skill.

Kristin: Yeah, my hair looks the same.

Sheridan: I feel like this hairstyle actually made my hair look straighter. I could totally rock this look normally — no sarcasm. Maybe people will mistake me for Solange Knowles. Don’t white people think that all black people look alike? They’ll be like, “Black girl, big hair, Solange, Solange!” I’m just getting carried away now. This one is an A+, y’all.

18. After putting our hair expertise to the test, we had some final thoughts:

Macey J. Foronda for BuzzFeed

Allison: I don’t even own a brush, hair dryer, or straightener, soooo I suppose I’m not the target demo here. I prefer to keep my look au naturel, but I am a big fan of all these braids and bows and will definitely incorporate them into my look (summer 2015 here I come).

Kirsten: I’m the type of person that can’t even get all of my hair into a ponytail correctly, so these tutorials were hard for me to say the least. They are advertised as being super easy and quick to do, but if you don’t have fine, long, wavy hair I think they don’t work as well.

Candace: I mean, it’s always been incredibly hard to do anything with my hair, and I know I am an exception, but people still have insanely thick hair like me. I guess there really are hairstyles that are specifically for certain hair, and that’s OK. To those with coarse and unruly hair out there, you’re NOT alone.

Kristin: I think the important takeaway here is that doing your hair is hard, and being good at it is harder, so everyone should just try to be a little nicer and more patient with themselves because we all have to go through a lot of bologna to look good in the morning.

Sheridan: I’m glad I got to be a part of this and represent the awkward black girl who doesn’t know how to do her own hair, but this honestly just reaffirmed my belief that you don’t get in between a black woman and her weekly hairdresser, whether that’s her sister, mom, paid professional, aunt, or even a dad who knows how to wield a comb like no other.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/candacelowry/this-is-what-pinterest-hair-tutorials-actually-look-like-on

35 Impossibly Cute Quinceañera Hair Ideas

                                            <b>For the Quince of your dreams.</b>                                                           
Jenny Chang / BuzzFeed

1. Create a cute bow using your own hair.

Get the whole tutorial here.

2. Or even better, a little heart bun.

Get the full tutorial here.

3. Create a cool retro updo fishtail braid.

Get the full tutorial here.

4. Rock a low, glamorous bun.

Check out the full tutorial here.

5. Create a pretty triple braided bun.

For the full tutorial, click here.

6. Try a side scallop braid.

Get the full instructions here.

7. Do a super fun ’60s bouffant.

Get all the instructions here.

8. Create a cool pompadour updo.

9. Do a pretty side braid pony.

Learn how to do it here.

10. Go for a cute topsy tail pony.

So easy, and so cute. Get the full tutorial here.

11. Try an amazing conch shell braid.

Learn how to do it here.

12. Give this quick and easy updo a go.

13. Go for these neat chunky twists.

14. Do a doughnut bun!

Learn how to do this cute look here.

15. Create soft curls with this half-up hairstyle.

Watch the tutorial here.

16. Add flowers for a romantic look.

Get the look with this tutorial.

17. Go for a super flirty and fun party pony.

18. Do dreamy, soft waves.

Get the full tutorial here.

20. Create a cool twisted pony.

It’s subtly sexy. Check out the full tutorial here.

21. Create a classic chignon twist.

This look definitely requires some extra bobby pins! Get the full tutorial here.

22. Get twisted with this twisted updo.

This look is a bit advanced. Get all the details here.

23. Create a “big booty bouffant” with tons of volume.

This works great for short hair, too! Find out how to do it here.

24. Try a classy curly updo.

Get the full instructions here.

25. Create a triple twist chignon.

Learn how to do it here.

26. Try a headband with sparkle or flowers to add a touch of whimsy.

 

27. Tiny butterfly clips are an adorable addition, too.

These little clips can add the perfect bit of flare to your hair. Get ‘em here.

28. Style your hair with a sweet bow and curls.

Click here for a tutorial.

29. Create a cute and quick twist.

Learn how to do it here.

30. This awesome double rolled updo works great for medium-length hair.

31. Girls with medium-length bobs can do cute braided updos, too.

Learn how to do it here.

32. Create a cute updo, even if you’ve got a short bob.

Find out how to do it here.

33. Create this charming twist updo in four easy steps.

Watch the tutorial here.

34. Got a bob? Do a faux updo.

Check out all the details here.

35. Create soft, subtle waves.

Check out this tutorial video to learn how.

But no matter how you wear your hair, remember:

Paramount Pictures / Via giphy.com

The most important thing is to have a great time!

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/juliegerstein/impossibly-gorgeous-prom-hair-ideas-155