When Us Weekly’s movie critic Mara Reinstein (AKA @maramovies) invited me to an advance screening of Fifty Shades Freed starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, I replied with an enthusiastic ‘I’m… coming!” (pun intended). Mara and I have made it a ritual to see the Anastasia Steele / Christian Grey trilogy together, and while she takes copious notes in an effort to present you, dear reader, with Us Weekly’s epic review (exhibit A: Just Submit! 50 Reasons to See ‘Fifty Shades Freed’), I can’t help but take in the beauty moments.
Now, there’s a lot to see. Jamie Dornan coming out of the water in the South of France… Jamie Dornan clad in his baggy jeans —and nothing else — in the ole red room of pain… Jamie Dornan in the shower… But aside from Jamie Dornan’s abs (which are undeniably a thing of beauty in and of themselves), there was one very specific thing my eye kept going back to.
While Fifty Shades Darker was all about Anastasia Steele’s perfect plum pout and other lipstick looks, the major beauty inspiration in Freed can without a doubt be found in Dakota Johnson’s tousled waves with bangs, a look that evokes the very essence of that tough-to-attain imperfect perfection: ‘French Girl’ hair. (It’s no wonder that the on-set makeup artist Evelyn Noraz told Us her general vibe for Ana’s overall look was “a little more Chanel, a little bit French.”)
Throughout the film, which incidentally is less rambling, more romp, this time around, Ana’s hair seems to look more and more lush, longer and thicker than ever before, perhaps symbolizing Anastasia’s growth into a woman who’s taken control of her relationship.
After the wedding scene (spoiler alert: she wears her hair up with an ornate Jennifer Behr-esque barette), Ana lets her hair down for the long flight to Paris in languid, almost straight waves with those coquettish Jane Birken-ish bangs. At work, she rocks a bit more of a sexy roller set, but still with that undone je ne sais quoi. Indeed, throughout the film, Ana masters Christian’s heart… and something maybe even more elusive for women everywhere: the perfect hair day.
