Mille Bobby Brown was just 12 years old when she took on the role Eleven in Stranger Things, the sci-fi phenomenon and Netflix hit by The Duffer Brothers. To play a child who underwent the horrors and terrors of a lab experiment and eventually, one that possessed supernatural powers, Brown had to shave her head in order to tell Eleven’s origin story. A young girl, who was stripped away of her identity and humanity to be reduced to a weapon and test subject, henceforth bearing the name ‘Eleven’.
Five seasons later, the Eleven that we first met back in the pilot episode isn’t the same anymore. She’s older, stronger and well-loved and protected by her found family (Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max and co.) in Hawkins. An evolution and arc that show runners and screenrunners took great care cultivating with each critical season—reflected in the character’s hair and make-up choices.
Season 2 Eleven saw her on the cusp of hopeful beginnings. Shedding her dark and brooding slick-back do and heavily-lined eyes when she found herself trapped in the Upside Down before making a sweet entrance to prom, of sweet soft curls and an orange-pink beat to signify the start of a romance and reclaiming the girlhood she lost. The seasons that followed played around with Eleven’s eventual phases as a teenager, with experimentation in the mix but ultimately arriving at the pivotal character’s arrival as a woman named Jane.
This fifth season will see the last fight with main villian Vecna unfold, as the citizens of Hawkins band together to save their small town from death and destruction. And what does Eleven look like in all of this? No elaborate make-up notes or hair switch-ups, rather a natural reflection of her becoming, comfortable and secure in her own skin since we last left her. Also, well noting that it is indeed time for the final battle.
1 / 5
Season One
A shaved head with no identity in sight. After escaping the lab, Eleven’s story begins through her blurry navigation of who she is and where she came from.
2 / 5
Season Two
As Eleven grapples with the forces of the Upside Down while protecting her found family, she, too is cognisant of who she’s becoming as a person. A girl who is experiencing the first flushes of young love with Mike. Now, with her hair grown out, the finale of Season Two shows Eleven embracing her feminine side at the school’s Snow Ball.
3 / 5
Season 3
A hint of rebellion that comes with many learnings. This time, Eleven isn’t just a girl who flirting with the idea of romance but also a teenage girl who just wants to have fun. This Eleven sports trendy accessories like a scrunchie, in attempt to reclaim what she lost in those formative years.
4 / 5
Season 4
Her hair’s all grown out and she has also welcomed bangs to frame her face. An older Eleven sheds away the childlike make-up she discovered in the earlier seasons and seems to be assured in her own skin.
5 / 5
Season 5
Jane’s all grown up. In this final season, Eleven isn’t too different from where we left her back in Season 4. Perhaps, now armed with a stronger will to protect her town and her friends from the clutches of death. With her hair pulled back with no more distractions, we’re certain this Eleven is now primed for the final battle.
