Hair loopies


 * For the hairstyle used by male members of the Water Tribes, see warrior's wolf tail.



Hair loopies are a type of hairstyle in the Northern and Southern Water Tribes. This may not be the actual name of the hairstyle, but Sokka used the term when he asked Katara how she would feel if she lost something meaningful to her, such as "her hair loopies". The style may be a family tradition as Katara, her mother, and her grandmother all wear them. In the Northern Water Tribe, Yue was seen wearing a similar style consisting of elaborate braids instead of regular loops.

Many years after the Hundred Year War, the hairdo was still popular, at least in the Northern Tribe. A woman who would go on to marry Republic City outlaw Yakone, also sported the look.

History


Katara considered hair loopies an important part of her identity, having sported this hairstyle since she was a little girl. Even so, there were times when Katara was seen without her trademark hairstyle. When she fought Pakku for her right to learn waterbending, her hair fell out of place. Later in the Crystal Catacombs, when Katara and Aang battled Azula and Zuko, Katara's hair once again came out of place during the struggle. While her hair loopies returned for a short time after that fight, Katara altered her appearance traveling in the Fire Nation in order to blend in with locals. She removed her hair loopies, and wore her hair down in addition to wearing Fire Nation clothing. Although she still tied two strands of hair behind her ear even when she wore her hair down, the loops no longer framed her face.



During the Invasion of the Fire Nation, Katara began incorporating her Water Tribe hairstyle once again. It was reminiscent of her Fire Nation style, with her hair unbraided in back, but her hair loopies were back, albeit thicker than before. She wore this style for the rest of the series.

Kanna, Katara's Gran Gran, also wore hair loopies. In a hallucination, Katara remembered Kya, her mother, with them, but in a flashback of the attacks on the Southern Water Tribe, she was not.



After the defeat of Fire Lord Ozai, Sokka attempted to do a painting of the heroes in the Jasmine Dragon. When Katara looked at Sokka's rendition of her, she accused him of giving her Momo's ears. He reassured her that they were her hair loopies. Katara had misinterpreted the hair loopies because of their round, hanging shape that resembled the flying lemur's ears.

No matter how much time progresses, hair loopies are still a very big trend among the women in the Water Tribes. Yakone's wife was even wearing hair loopies after the Hundred Year War.