Hair loopies




 * For the hairstyle used by male members of the Water Tribe, see Warrior’s Wolf Tail.

Hair loopies are a type of hairstyle in the Water Tribes. This may not be the actual name of the hairstyle, but Sokka first mentioned its name in "Avatar Day", when he asked Katara how she would feel if she lost something meaningful to her, her own hair loopies. In the Northern Water Tribe, women are seen wearing a similar style, consisting in elaborate braids instead of regular loopies.

History
Hair loopies are considered an important part of Katara's identity. As revealed in "The Southern Raiders", Katara has sported this hairstyle since she was a small girl.

There are times when Katara is seen without her trademark hairstyle. The first time this happens is in "The Waterbending Master" when Katara fights Pakku for her right to learn Waterbending, and her hair falls out of place. Later, during "The Crossroads of Destiny", Katara and Aang battle with Azula and Zuko, and Katara's hair once again comes out of place in the struggle. Only in "The Awakening" did Katara have her hair loopies up again. She retires them when she goes into disguise from the Fire Nation along with everyone else. She instead has her hair down, and sometimes, as seen in "The Southern Raiders", in a ponytail. Although she still ties two strands of hair behind her ear even when she wears her hair down, the loops are nowhere near as prominent as before.



In "The Day of Black Sun, Part 1: The Invasion" Katara begins wearing a Water Tribe hair style once again. It is reminiscent of her Fire Nation style, with her hair mostly unbraided, but includes her Hair Loopies. She wears this style for the rest of the series.

Kanna also uses Hair Loopies, as seen in the beginning of the series. In a hallucination, Kya was seen to use them, but in a flashback of the attacks on the Southern Water Tribe, she didn't.