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From the moment Jessa Johansson rolled into town in the back of a cab in the first episode of Girls, she’s been a joyous source of real talk (“You know what the weirdest part about having a job is? You have to be there every day, even on the days you don’t feel like it”) and withering put downs (“I don’t think you’re cool and I think your mother was poor.”)
But whether she’s getting arrested for peeing on a New York City sidewalk, or seducing a happily-settled ex-lover just for the sake of it, there’s always been one constant: her spectacular hair. Those bohemian, mermaid waves are what hair dreams are made of. Her tresses are so impressive, in fact, that the script writers constantly reference it in the dialogue ("Y'know, people hate me? I'm a hateable kind of person. I don't know why, I can't help it, maybe it's because I have a big ass and good hair.")
Pinned to the side, in a hipster top knot, messily plaited; Jessa nails each look. A sort of dirty blonde that hangs down to her waist, it never looks like she just stepped out of a salon. The colour is uneven, sometimes it doesn't look washed, and when she actually has a ‘do, it looks like she did it in under a minute on the subway, using the train window for a mirror. Not fair.
A little bit grungey, a little bit hippy, Jessa's locks suit the free spirit that she is. As Season 5 comes to a close, we look back at some of her finest follicle moments. Don’t mind us while we stock up on hair growth supplements and research transformative treatments.
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Daryl Hannah spent hours having hair extensions applied to play Madison the mermaid in Splash. Jessa could have strolled straight onto set.
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This is about as high maintenance as Jessa goes – it must have taken at least five minutes. And the headband is very Zoltar Speaks, the fortune telling machine in Big. Hats off for such an eclectic reference.
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This is just adorable. The look screams: "Oh this? Well I did a cute French plait this morning but I've just gone two rounds with my sexy new boyfriend and now it's a tad dishevelled. Don't mind me."
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Look at those lank, unbrushed locks. Grease hasn't looked this good since that KFC meal deal I pounded for dinner last night.
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Standing next to Shoshanna and her directional, fashion victimy 'do only serves to highlight Jessa's glorious natural locks.
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This twist on the classic Heidi braid is perfect. You know, if Heidi didn't live with her grandparents in the Swiss Alps but instead got addicted to heroin and had an affair with Richard E. Grant.
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Kate Hudson might have crimped her hair for her recent birthday party as a joke (the theme was "Hot Mess") but here Jessa shows that you don't have to crimp ironically.
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Jessa's take on the hipster top knot (this is Brooklyn, after all.) Mind you, because she has so much hair, it's less 'top knot' and more 'top ball'.
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A rare high ponytail. She looks sad. We're sad. Jessa, Jessa, let down your hair.
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Another day, another plait. Never mind becoming a therapist, surely Jessa should just open a braid bar.
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