The Origin of Short Hair Styles
What is the origin of short hair styles? It can be attributed to
World War II. World War П dominated the first half of the 1940’s and had
a huge effect on every aspect of life. It was a time of great change.
Hairstyling Impact The war also had an impact on hairstyling;
rationing meant luxury products were scarce, especially clothes and
therefore more emphasis was placed on hairstyling and accessories. Hats
became
 popular, especially small peaked caps were made fashionable by
the GI pin up girls such as Betty Gable. They suited the conservative
image of the forties and the service uniforms. Hair was set and dressed
around hats and hairpieces, like false braids and fringes. These were
popular; they also provided room for more styles and versatility.
Mystic forties The Marcel waves and curls of the thirties
remained prevalent into the forties. Whether the hair was short, long,
up or under a hat it was still set or permed into curls to give a sense
of movement and shape while still being very structured and practical.
Women in A Man’s World Women took over men’s roles in
factories, where they were encouraged by the government to cut their
hair short for safety reasons. Short, neatly rolled hair was also a
service standard as it suited the formal uniforms. Women who would not
cut their hair put it up into a topknot / doughnut. Snoods were also
worn to keep their hair tidied away; these became very fashionable,
especially with the Pompadour style, worn by Maureen O’Hara. The
Pompadour style was drag set with large, feminine curls at the front and
sides away from the face and longer curls at the back, usually wrapped
within the snood.
Cinema and Hair Styling Although the war caused low morale,
there was escapism, cinema! Hollywood films like Gone with the Wind and
Casablanca starred some of America’s most glamorous actresses including
Ingrid Bergman, Lauren Bacall, Veronica Lake and Marlene Dietrich. Women
longed to be glamorous like these actresses and copied their looks.
Veronica Lake’s long curly locks, seductively draped across one eye, the
peek-a-boo style, became one of the most popular looks of the forties,
despite being frowned upon by some because it was too sexy. This was
just a grown out pageboy style from the thirties, easy to style up or
down.
 Next Generation Style After the war people were
optimistic; things certainly improved with the end of rationing and the
introduction of the NHS. This new optimism reflected in the hairstyles
and they became more informal. The next big look was the Joan of Arc
hairstyle, influenced by Ingrid Bergman in the film of the same name.
This gamine look remained popular into the fifties.
Glamour All the Way The fifties was a time of optimism and
prosperity: people strived for the perfect home life, with new
technologies and new products, all within easy reach of the average
person, creating the opportunity for freedom of style. It was also the
birth of the juvenile phenomenon known as the teenager and the
introduction of Rock ‘n’ Roll. One thing was for certain glamour,
glamour and more glamour was a must!
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