Shailene Woodley finally explains Jane’s fringe in Big Little Lies
And to be honest, her answer makes perfect sense
When season two of Big Little Lies premiered at the beginning of June, all anyone could talk about online (and IRL) was the drastic hair change of one of the show’s key characters.
Jane Chapman shocked viewers when she appeared in episode one with a new lease on life and an edgy new fringe. Now, a few weeks into the second season, the actress that plays Jane – Shailene Woodley – has revealed just why her character underwent such a dramatic change.
Shailene explained to The Hollywood Reporter that the choice came from her own personal experiences: “I’ve been in this position in my life where, after a major break-up, triumph or celebration or after a big change, a lot of people alter the way they look. I know for myself; it’s always been haircuts and piercings. That’s been my way of moving forward in new chapters of my life.”
For Jane, her haircut is symbolic of her story as a sexual assault survivor and how she relates to her trauma. “I felt that for Jane, she’s carried this weight of not feeling in her own body because of what happened to her for eight years. She felt disconnected from her own identity on not just an emotional and mental level, but on a physical level as well.”
Triggered by the death of her attacker Perry at the end of season one, Shailene explained that Jane took this as a cue to alter her appearance and ultimately usher in a new phase of her life. “I felt like maybe two or three weeks after that incident she would have woken up one morning, looked at herself in the mirror and thought, ‘This isn’t who I am anymore. This monster is gone and I’m not going to let him live in me or control me any longer.’ In that moment, I feel like she took a pair of scissors and cut her bangs herself.”
“I felt like that would have been her reclaiming her space.”
Tempted to rock the blunt style yourself? You’re not the only one. Celebrities can’t seem to get enough of this haircut.
Would you ever cut your own fringe? Let us know in the comments below.
Main image credit: Getty
Briar is the Beauty Editor at BEAUTYcrew. Her 'down for anything' attitude has resulted in more than a handful of hair transformations, and she doesn't mind being used as a guinea pig for the industry's most unusual products and treatments. Her work has also appeared on Refinery29, Girlfriend and beautyheaven.
