Was Marcia Clark's Haircut Really Such A Big Deal In 1995?

By Lauren Le Vine

PHOTO: COURTESY OF FX.
Marcia Clark (Sarah Paulson)

You know the expression, “You’re damned if you do, and you’re damned if you don’t?” There needs to be a stronger version of that phrase to describe the constant scrutiny and ridicule to which Marcia Clark was subjected during the O. J. Simpson trial in 1995. As the sole female prosecutor on the case, her appearance, job performance, and personal life became a matter of public attention and record. No matter how she looked or acted, Clark couldn’t win. She was even subjected to sexist comments in the courtroom, where defense attorney Johnnie Cochran oncecalled her “hysterical.” Clark challenged him on this remark, saying it was unacceptable. O. J. Simpson reportedly chuckled while watching this exchange.

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Last night’s episode of The People v. O.J Simpson: American Crime Story focused on the extreme spotlight in which Clark was forced to exist for the duration of the trial. The episode touches on all the ways in which Clark’s life became public fodder. Her estranged second husband used the fact that Clark was working extremely long hours on the case to publicly draw her into a custody battle over their two young sons. Her first husband sold naked photos of Clark to a tabloid, although the show fudges this detail a little — it was actually her ex-mother-in-law who sold the photos to The National Enquirer. Perhaps the most relatable moment for the majority of female viewers, however, is the extreme attention that’s paid to Clark’s appearance.

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It starts at the very beginning of the episode. When Clark (Sarah Paulson) arrives home from a day spent entrenched in a custody battle with her husband (making her late for the Simpson trial), the TV is on in her living room. A style expert named Dolly Sugarman (Jennifer Birmingham Lee) is criticizing Clark’s appearance. “This is not a look. This is a cry for help,” Sugarman is saying.

Are any of the male lawyers’ appearances attacked in this way? According to Paula Nicolson’s 2015 book Gender, Power and Organization: A Psychological Perspective on Life at Work, they were not. “Her colleagues and the defense lawyers (mostly men) were discussed in a variety of ways, but it was only with [Clark] that appearance was on the agenda,” Nicolson writes.

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“Television programmes, news, and comment in the media focused on the length of her skirts and manner of clothing,” Nicolson notes. “This reached a crescendo when she changed her hairstyle.”

The hairstyle change, which is the climax of episode 6 of The People v. O.J. Simpson, is heartbreaking to watch. It’s prompted by a comment from her boss, District Attorney Gil Garcetti (Bruce Greenwood), who notes all the negative attention the media is putting on Clark’s appearance. “I’m sorry. It’s awful; it’s inappropriate; it’s sexist. Having said that, I can put you together with a couple of terrific media consultants,” Garcetti says.

In the series, Clark’s makeover starts out auspiciously. She asks the hairdresser for “something different, softer,” which mirrors what a jury consultant told Clark to do in real life (“Talk softer, dress softer, wear pastels,” Clark tells Vogue in an interview from January 2016).

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“I’ve never had to think about anything like this before, so I’m a little nervous,” Clark confesses. Again, this rings true to her real-life experience. In February 2016, Clark told Rebecca Traister of New York Magazine, “It was wash-and-wear hair! It was easy. I had two boys in diapers, and I didn’t want to be bothered. That’s why I had the perm…I did the hair because I had no choice. I mean, my perm grew out. That’s why I cut the hair. I didn’t have time to get it permed again.”