The Fashion History Of

Ambrose Tey

Department of Mechanical Engineering

Imperial College London

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VITY December 2008

The Fashion History of Hairstyles

From the beginning of time, humans have cared for their hair. The famous Ice
Age statuettes, known as the Venus of Willendorf and of Brassempouy, show
clear evidence of styled hair. About 25,000 years old, these statuettes reveal
that at least some women in the society took care of their hair and had a
concept of beauty and attractiveness.

The presence of distinct hairstyles in early civilisations also suggests that humans
have been aware of the connection between hairstyles and their personal image.
The Ancient Egyptians, known for their attention to beauty and cleanliness, used
combs and hairpins in their tresses while Greece women had long hair pulled pulle
back into a chignon, sprinkled with gold powder, and often adorned with fresh
flowers or jewelled tiara. Chinese men shaved the front of the head and wore the
back hair long and braided.
braided. Men in Japan also shaved the front of the head but
kept the back hairir pulled tightly into a short stiff ponytail. These imply that although hairstyles
played a significant role in early societies,
societies there were little variations between each individual.
Hairstyles merely represent the civilisation’s identity as a whole and wereere not personalised.

Moving forward in time in English history, hairstyle fashion was slowly evolving and
began to personalise as of the 15th century. There was a huge tendency to imitate
or adopt the hairstyle of an iconic individual in each era. During
During the Elizabethan era
for instance, Queen Elizabeth was the main female icon and set the trends for the
era. She was a guiding inspiration in fashion and women strove to imitate her curly
red hair and lily-white
lily complexion. Even in today’s society, famous superstars still
have significant influence on the trends in fashion hairstyle.

The dawn of the 20th century saw a transition in hairstyles, from the more
confined styles of the Victorian era to looser, fuller hairstyles of the Edwardian
wardian
era (1901–1910). This was coupled with the modification and eventual
abandonment of the tight corset, or bodice, giving way to more mobile and
flexible clothing styles. Volume was the theme in this decade regardless of hair
length, although longer hairstyles were more popular.
po Women often wound
their hair around balls of padding called ‘rats’ to create this ‘puffy’ look. Large
Edwardian hats,, decorated with elaborate trimmings like ostrich feathers, are
often essential accessories accompanying this sort
so of hairstyles. Additionally,
itionally, an important invention
in hairstyling was made in 1906 by Charles L. Nesslar: permanent hair curling. Women could now
have their hair curled for months although it was an expensive and long process, hence it remained a
luxury that was only available
able to the upper class. As one would reckon, there was little change in
men’s hairstyle. Men kept their hair short and were pomaded with Macassar oil. It originated from
Indonesia and is primarily made of coconut oil or palm oil combined with ylang-ylang
ylang oil as well as
other fragrant oils. Moustache, beard and sideburns were regarded to represent their wealth and
status and were therefore very common at the time.

ashion hairstyle gradually came to a halt in the 1910s during the First World War.
The transition of fashion
After the horrors of the war, people just wanted to have fun. 1920’s society very much abandoned
the puritanical standards and constraints of the earlier era and it was a unique time in the history of
hairstyles. Itt was a time of racoon coats, boot-leg
boo leg hooch, saxophones and ‘boop-boop-a-doop’.
‘boop The
epitome of the Jazz Age was the Flapper,, with her bobbed hair and her mischievous smile. These
shockingly short, bobbed hairstyles signify the new independent, free-spirited
free spirited and free-woman
free
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ethos of the new

new age, which serves to represent a carefree attitude. As
the 1920s progressed, the development of technology in America made
cinemas and theatres, and hence trends in hairstyles, much more
accessible to the general public. Variations sprang up and trends were set
by superstars of the time, such as actress Clara Bow and singer Josephine
Baker. Men’s hair on
o the other hand remained short and centre parting
was gaining popularity. They were neatly trimmed and slicked back using
usin
brilliantine or other perfumed oils to give a glossy, well-groomed
well
appearance. Men’s hair was perceived to be the neater the better and
should not move even when they dance.

In the first three decades of the 20th century, it can be seen that the fashion
n trend in hairstyling was
influenced by manyany different factors and changes constantly. Economic and social changes resulted
in an increase of social mobility during the Edwardian era, which sparked off the transition in
hairstyles. In fact, in the bigger picture, people’s perception of fashion was changed altogether.
What was previously unacceptable became a norm with rapid developments in fashion. Moreover,
the advancement
ncement of technology in the 1920s created numerous roads for the communication of
fashion trends. The public gained more exposure in the shrinking world and women’s status in the
society took on a new character. Undoubtedly, the Flapper styles, as a consequence, reflect this
change in attitude and women’s outlook on society. In essence, the western tern world went from very
conservative styles of the Victorian era to the wild-eyed,
eyed, carefree days of short Flapper hairstyles in
just three decades. All of which proves that it is impossible to look at current hairstyles and fashion
trends and make anything ng more than a wild guess as to where things will be in the coming years. We
will just have to wait and watch.

The Forties can be regarded as the ‘Great Depression’ in the history of fashion hairstyles. With the
world at war,, something of a more practical nature was needed. Many women had to work on land
or in munitions factories and non-essential
non essential items such as shampoos were hard to come by. Fashion
at that time was dictated by practicability. Practical women wore their hair in a neat roll around the
nape and over the ears, often covered with a headscarf knotted
knotted at the front leaving only the fringe
exposed. Things were not any better for the gents either. There was no time for such fripperies as
hairstyling. The rule was simple, cut it short, a dab of cream oil, and off to battle.

Time was tough and people live their days without knowing what lies ahead of them. Women fear
for the lives of their family and countrymen while men fought for their lives and country. The fact
that hairstyling was no longer an essential
essential routine of the day clearly reflects how delicate and
sensitive fashion is to factors affecting one’s life, how one’s image is controlled by one’s emotions
and interactions with the environment. For example, when a person becomes ill, hairstyling became b
a chore and can be live without. The person just wants to get better and no longer cares if his or her
hair is a mess. Similarly in difficult times, people’s attention shift from hairstyles and appearances to
more important matters at hand. This is why
w you
can usually tell if someone had a busy or bad day.
When a man did not shave or when a woman
had uneven make ups. It also probably explains
why most military men in service are required to
shave their head or at least kept their hair strictly
short, deeming it unnecessary for hairstyling.
This is because safety, personal hygiene and
discipline are most important and shaving their
head just makes things much easier.
easier

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The Fifties and Sixties saw a time of glamour and elegance with the war at
an end. Women could now spend more time and effort on their hair. It
was during this period where the business of hairdressing became popular
and women started visiting hair salons on a weekly basis for the ‘shampoo
and set’. Hair began to suffer abuse and was teased,
teased, sculpted, sprayed,
permanently waved and forced into perfectly formed curls. The hairstyle
trend for men took on a major change in the mid 1950s with the influence
of their idols Elvis and James Dean. Greased black hairdos were slicked
back severely on
on the sides with liberal use of Brylcreme and this confection
terminated at the nape of the neck becoming a V-shape,
V shape, which is known as
a Ducktail.

The King’s influence was colossal and affected men’s hairstyles for many years to come.
come Through him,
men weree much more conscious about the way they look. More men started taking care of their hair
as they tried to copy him and it was there and then where the important role that hairstyles play in a
person’s appeal was acknowledged by many.

During the 1970s,, personal expression was the key to a great hair style. Groovy looks explored
personal values and individuality rather than society’s expectations, and both men and women
embraced more natural styles with longer locks less tamed by hair products or overzealous scissors.
Funky looks were also popular, particularly for trendy, younger individuals, and offered another way
to express one’s personality. Even conservative shag hair styles or flirty bobs had room for personal
p
expression in the 1970s. The Seventies were basically theth era of long hair. The hippies wore their
hair long and black people decided they wanted to do it too. While the hippies’ hair hung down,
black people’s hair went in all direction. This is known as the ‘Afro’ hairstyle. The ‘Afro’ looked so
neat that whitee people started getting perms so they could have it too.

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The 1980s saw less constraints and more freedom of of choice in styles and trends. People were no
longer prepared to conform to a set image
image and many variances occurred. On one hand, the ‘Power
dressers’ emerged and graced the
he high streets – immaculate women with strong tailored clothes and
meticulously
ticulously groomed hairstyles. The ‘long bob’ was highly favoured – precisely
precis cut and evenly
curled under. A good hairdresser was an essential part of a woman’s life. The rebellious crowd on
the other hand were busy following Madonna’s ever-changing
ever changing style and were willing to sport
unconventional, choppy off-coloured
coloured hairdos,
hairdos, to match their unconventional, eccentric clothing.

Men on the other hand were very minimalist in their approach

approa – shaved heads ds being the order of
the day. In fact anything over an inch was deemed long and there was a new trend for products.
Prior to the late eighties men had made do with shampoo alone, or occasionally pinched the
girlfriends hair gel but the ‘new man’ image encouraged companies to produce all kinds of new
products for men. With new all--male
male packaging of men’s toiletries it became completely acceptable
for men’s bathrooms to sport as many products as females.

From the 50s to the 80s, fashion hairstyle

hairstyle changed dramatically along with the society. Neat and
rigid hairstyles were left in the past and were replaced with trendy, funky styles. From this progress
in hairstyles alone, it is obvious how people’s attitude have changed over the decades. As the society
opens up, so does people’s mindset, well expressed through their fashion. Again, in just a couple of
generations, hairstyling went to the extreme and peaked in the 80s.

From the Nineties onward, hairstyle trends are constantly changing and pretty much anything are
acceptable. In conclusion, wee have come a long way from the Edwardian era and the world today is
definitely very much different from what it was a century ago. As we have seen, changes in hairstyle
fashion are subjected to countless variables. Without knowing what lies ahead of us, it will be
impossible to predict where hairstyle fashion will be in the next decade or so. What is definite is that
our hairstyle had and always will define who we are and our character character or attitude. A person’s
hairstyle essentially tells a story. A story about oneself, one’s life and one’s
one’s beliefs.