Cynthia Erivo Chose Micro Braids For Elphaba So That Wicked’ Could Honor Black Women

Cynthia Erivo Chose Micro Braids For Elphaba So That Wicked’ Could Honor Black Women

Cynthia Erivo brought her own touch to Elphaba in Wicked, choosing micro braids to honor Black women.

Hair has always been a defining feature of Elphaba—traditionally long, black, and wavy for the stage production. For Erivo, however, it was about reimagining that look to honor herself and honor black women.

During the Wicked press junket, Erivo shared that she specifically suggested micro braids to maintain the character’s signature length and movement while incorporating a meaningful texture:

“I asked if we could reimagine that hair as micro braids because I knew you’d still have the movement, and you could still have the length, but there was a texture that was slightly different to what you would normally see on stage, and it was a direct connection between me as a Black woman and Elphaba as a green lady.”

 

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Fans have praised Elphaba’s look—from her hair, to makeup, to fashion—crediting these bold choices for helping the movie become a box office success, earning over $500M.

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