She's stated that she's wished she could cover up her rear with a waist-length cape like other female supers, so the hair would be the next best thing. * Nope, sorry. In vol. 4 we see she had the hair before. (And why not, it's very nice.) * It's not mutually exclusive. She has been wanting to be a superhero since childhood, so it's possible she grew her hair like that as a cape substitute.