The Hair Ties: A Symbol of Hidden Commitment in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
What Are the Hair Ties?
In The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, the hair ties are simple, everyday objects that Evelyn and Celia St. James use during their private wedding ceremony. Far from elaborate rings or legal documents, these elastic bands become the most profound symbol of commitment in the novel. The private ceremony takes place at a time when their love cannot be publicly acknowledged, let alone legally sanctified. By exchanging hair ties, the two women create a marriage that exists outside the reach of society, law, and the press.
The hair ties are not described in great detail, but their plainness is essential to their meaning. They are not expensive jewelry; they are intimate, personal items that each woman might have worn daily. This transforms them into tokens of a bond that values authenticity over spectacle—a stark contrast to the lavish public weddings Evelyn stages with her seven husbands.
Where the Hair Ties Appear
The hair ties appear in the pivotal scene of Evelyn and Celia’s private wedding, likely taking place in the 1960s, when same-sex marriage was not only illegal but also scandalous. Although the exact chapter containing this ceremony is not provided in the excerpts, the significance of the moment is echoed in Monique Grant’s posthumous article "Evelyn and Me". In that article, Monique reveals that Evelyn’s love for Celia was “the very core of herself, the most honest and real thing about her.” The hair ties belong to that core truth.
The symbol recurs in memory: even after Celia’s death, Evelyn keeps the hair ties as a physical reminder of their union. They appear again in the novel’s final revelations, when Monique understands that Evelyn’s seven public marriages were performances, while the hair ties represent her one true marriage.
How the Meaning of the Hair Ties Changes
At the moment of the ceremony, the hair ties are a simple solution—two women using what they have to create a ring-like token. Their meaning is immediate: a promise of lifelong commitment, made in secret. Over time, as Evelyn endures subsequent marriages, divorces, and the pressure of maintaining her public image, the hair ties come to represent the one relationship that was never broken. They shift from being a wedding band to a symbol of lost authenticity and sacrifice. Evelyn sacrifices public acknowledgment of her love to protect Celia’s career and their safety. The hair ties then become a bittersweet emblem of that sacrifice.
After Celia’s passing, the hair ties take on new weight as a relic of grief. For Evelyn, they are a tangible connection to the only person she ever truly loved. In her final years, when she tells her story to Monique, the hair ties embody the secrecy she can finally abandon. They represent the truth that she has hidden for decades—a truth that, as she says, is her “greatest political act.”
Character Connections
Evelyn Hugo
Evelyn is a master of reinvention, but the hair ties anchor her to her most authentic self. Her public identity is built on performance—emerald gowns, flawless hair, and calculated smiles. The hair ties are the opposite: unglamorous, private, and real. They connect to Evelyn’s theme of identity and reinvention, showing that beneath her many facades lies a woman who values a single, unsanctioned bond above all her famous marriages.
Celia St. James
For Celia, the hair ties are a promise received. As “America’s Sweetheart,” she also lives a double life. The hair ties allow her to have a marriage that is purely hers, untouched by the media circus that surrounds both women. They represent the love and sacrifice she and Evelyn make for each other—choosing to stay together secretly rather than facing public destruction.
Monique Grant
Monique is the recipient of Evelyn’s confession. Through the story of the hair ties, she grasps the depth of Evelyn’s commitment to Celia. This understanding helps Monique see beyond the scandalous headlines to the woman who “madly in love” with Celia. The symbol thus becomes a key to unlocking Evelyn’s true narrative.
Theme Connections
- Secrecy and Truth: The hair ties are hidden from the world, just like Evelyn’s sexuality and love for Celia. They embody the central theme that truth, though sometimes concealed, can be preserved through objects.
- Marriage as Performance: Evelyn’s seven marriages are acts of publicity—each one crafted to advance her career or manage scandal. The hair ties undermine that performance, revealing that her only real marriage was the one no one saw.
- Fame and Privacy: The hair ties represent a private space that fame could not invade. They are a counterpoint to the endless tabloid articles that define Evelyn’s public life.
- Love and Sacrifice: Evelyn and Celia sacrifice public acknowledgment for private loyalty. The hair ties are the sacrament of that choice.
Study Questions and Answers
1. Why do Evelyn and Celia choose hair ties instead of rings for their wedding?
They choose hair ties because they are intimate, unassuming objects that do not draw attention. Rings would be conspicuous and could raise questions. Hair ties are ordinary items that two women might wear daily; their use as wedding bands underscores that the commitment itself matters more than the formality. It also reflects the necessity of secrecy—no legal document, no public ceremony, just a private promise.
2. How do the hair ties challenge the novel’s portrayal of marriage as a public institution?
Evelyn’s seven marriages are constantly in the spotlight—each one chronicled by gossip columns like “Now This” and “PhotoMoment.” The hair ties offer a counter-narrative: marriage that exists solely for the two people involved, without witnesses, licenses, or photographers. By elevating a hidden union above all legal ones, the novel suggests that the truest commitments may be the ones that never appear in headlines.
3. In what way do the hair ties reflect Evelyn’s relationship with her Cuban heritage and her sexuality?
Evelyn often feels she must reinvent herself to succeed—changing her name, her hair color, and her public persona. Her Cuban heritage is suppressed, as is her bisexuality. The hair ties, like her Spanish language, represent a part of her that she keeps private. They are a symbol of the identity she protects from the industry that demands she conform. Just as she speaks Spanish only with Celia, she wears the hair ties only for Celia.
4. How does Monique Grant’s understanding of the hair ties help her come to terms with her own life?
Monique begins the novel feeling ordinary and discarded after her divorce. Learning about Evelyn’s hidden marriage—a union stronger than any of her public ones—shifts Monique’s perspective on what makes a relationship meaningful. The hair ties teach her that love does not require external validation. This realization empowers Monique to write Evelyn’s true story and to carry that lesson into her own future, no longer needing to “Evelyn Hugo” herself.