Goodwin's Character Isn't Supposed to Look Perfect

However beautiful she might be, a lead actress isn't always supposed to look perfect in a role. She is usually supposed to be sympathetic, and in many scenes, that can be accentuated with a strange haircut or vulnerable expressions on a face without makeup. The director wants you to bond with her, so that seeing her at her worst makes you care about her even more.

That's why I find discussions of Goodwin's haircut on Once upon a Time a little pointless. If she seems less attractive to people on this show than on others, then people should watch those shows instead, where a more flattering look was part of the purpose. Here we're seeing Snow White as the perpetually unacknowledged tomboy and drudge. Enough of Goodwin's beauty shows through to leave us no doubt of what the character truly is, but part of her beauty is concealed by design, just as the Evil Queen appears soft and fresh (which Lana Parrilla really is) or callous and hard-featured depending on her affect.

It seems apparent that the stylists and costumers thought about this quite clearly, as did the cinematographer and lighting and camera people.

Personally, I'll stick with watching this particular show, where the constant changes in characters are reflected in comparatively subtle ways -- without their needing to transform into angels, vamps or wolves.