Inspiration for SPOP Glimmer's design
To start out, the overall design of SPOP Glimmer is quite similar to her Filmation counterpart:
Her design is also probably inspired by Filmation concept art of Glimmer, as seen in the Filmation She-Ra series bible:
There are other influenced from the series bible, that didn't make into the series proper, like Glimmer being a teen:
As well some elements of her personality:
Indeed, it also presents the idea Glimmer has multi-colored hair, like she has in SPOP. Of course, Filmation Glimmer also was quite similar to this description, but Filmation and SPOP Glimmer also have similarities in terms of personality, and even stroylines.
Glimmer's staff (in SPOP originally Micah's) is also something she had as a toy and in comics and books:
Justine Dantzer's (the creator of the most prototypical versions of She-Ra cast) very original design of Glimmer, was another possible influence - having wing-like cape (like SPOP Glimmer's cape resembles folded bird wings), or folded angel-wings (also connecting to Glimmer's angel-wings birth mark, and temporary wings she got when she assumed the role of the Queen, and full power of the Moonstone in "The Coronation") (you know, aside from being Angella's daughter), shoes with wings, and an asymmetrical motive:
(it also seems Justine Dantzer's design for Glimmer was split into Glimmer and Queen Angella)
Glimmer's hair is interesting, as it has influences outside Filmation and MOTU. Specifically, Glimmer's hairstyle for first 3 seasons, is based on that of Cutie Honey:
This was even further referenced in Glimmer's fantasy in "Roll with It", were she imagines herself as Cutie Honey-like heroine:
(It also confirms Glimmer is an Etherian equivalent of weeb XD)
Glimmer's (as does Queen Angella's) hair also have further inspiration and symbolism - they resemble the sky during dawn:
The fact Glimmer has stars in the purple part of her hair, while Angella doesn't, also signifies that during Angella rule, the stars were absent from Etheria's sky, while Glimmer, if accidentally, "returned the stars" during her rule as queen, and they stayed that way.
Glimmer's short eyebrows, also probably reference the Japanese Hikimayu tradition/fashion among the Japanese royal court and latter female (and sometimes male) aristocrats in general, of shaving or plucking natural eyebrows, and painting shorter, rounder ones :
This is probably to emphasize Glimmer's (Etherian Equivalent) of East Asian descent from Micah. This also present often in design of characters in anime, particularly of some level of noble or royal descent:
Izumo Kamiki from Blue Exorcist
Kaguya Ōtsutsuki and Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki from Naruto and Boruto.
Glimmer's design in seasons 4 and 5, is also intentionally closer to her Filmation design, but also resembles Nate Stevenson's initial design for Glimmer:
