Fiery Locks: The Meaning Behind Merida’s Hair

From the first frame, Merida’s defining feature is her unruly red curls, a visual metaphor for her untamed spirit and refusal to conform to societal expectations (Suganya et al., 2024).

Interestingly, red hair is not just a visual choice: it is extremely common in Scotland and other Celtic areas. In Scotland, an estimated 10 to 25 percent of the population has red hair, making it the second highest percentage worldwide after Ireland (Hay, n.d.). This hereditary hair colour is often associated with fiery personalities, stubbornness, and a certain independence (Manning, 2010). Such stereotypes resonate closely with Merida’s character.

Merida’s red hair is an expression of her wild spirit and refusal to conform to how a ‘typical princess’ should  behave. This contrast becomes clear when her mother, Queen Elinor, dresses her for the arrival of the suitors. The tight dress and headdress are meant to force Merida into the straitjacket of a princess label. But again and again a curl slips out, and again and again Elinor pushes it back (Breen, 2015). This represents the struggle between freedom and control.

However, these red, wild curls of Merida were a challenge for the makers (Giardina, 2013). Hair is notoriously difficult to animate, with curly hair posing its own particular challenges (Seymour, 2012). But Pixar was determined with this character because she had such a wild fire in her that this curly hair was part of her character and her design (Lerew et al., 2012). Therefore, Pixar even developed a new simulation system to make her curls move naturally (Giardina, 2013).