Basic Trope: A motherly character wears her hair in a loose ponytail or plait over the shoulder.
- Straight: Alice's kind and loving mother, Carol, wears her hair in a loose ponytail over the shoulder.
- Exaggerated: Every single mother wears her hair in a loose ponytail over the shoulder.
- Downplayed: Carol only wears her hair in the ponytail when doing menial work, and otherwise wears it down.
- Justified: Carol wears her hair in a loose ponytail because it's the easiest method of keeping her hair out of the way while doing housework.
- Inverted: Alice is the one who wears her hair in the side ponytail; Carol wears her hair down or in a bun.
- Gender Inverted: Alice's father, Bob, wears his hair in a loose bind over the shoulder.
- Subverted: Carol wears her hair in a loose ponytail, but only in the first season. In the second season, she wears it in a bun.
- Double Subverted: However, in the third season, she switches back to the loose ponytail.
- Parodied: The moment Carol ties her hair into the loose ponytail, she gives birth to Alice.
- Zig-Zagged: The way Carol wears her hair varies from episode to episode.
- Averted: Carol doesn't wear her hair in a loose ponytail.
- Enforced: "Let's give Alice's mom that over-the-shoulder ponytail hairstyle thing. That shows she's a nice mother, right?"
- Lampshaded:Alice: Mom, is there any reason you always wear your hair like that?Carol: No reason, it's just convenient. But I think I first started wearing it once you were born...
- Invoked: Carol is experimenting with ways to hold her hair and she chooses this.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: "My hair will only keep falling out of the plait if I wear it like this—I'll just get a haircut."
- Discussed: "Have you ever noticed that all our mothers wear their hair the same way? Do they go to the same hairdresser or something?"
- Conversed: "Why is it that all mothers in that show wear their hair in that side ponytail thing?"
Back to Motherly Side Plait
