Although typically associated with blue-haired ladies and mullet-wearing hair bands of the 1970s and 1980s, perms have been a fashion trend that has helped to define the 20th-century beauty industry. Perming hair is a process that has made use of thermal and/or chemical combinations to alter the hair texture and to make it either curly
Hairdressers and stylists, also known as beauticians, beauty operators, barbers, and cosmetologists, tout the creation of style, in contrast to barbers who have traditionally been associated with cutting hair that has grown too long. Hairdressers typically possess high-level skills that include cutting, perking, straightening, coloring, finishing, and sometimes braiding and weaving. In a nod to
In Western culture, long, straight hair has traditionally epitomized both feminine beauty and sexual desirability. This aesthetic continues to shape how women of other cultures process and style their hair. Although concerns related to self-worth, success, and attractiveness affect both genders, women of all backgrounds have felt greater pressure to maintain a socially acceptable appearance.
Hairstyles are rich with meaning and inextricably bound to a larger political economy that has profoundly shaped the cultural landscape as well the beauty industry. A multitude of industries and institutions are devoted exclusively to hairstyle processes, products, and accessories. Hairstyles have made peoples’ careers, cost them their jobs, and, at times, even threatened their
Whether or not blondes have more fun, blondeness has been a crucial component in the hair care industry, the world of fashion, and popular imagination. While blondeness has for centuries been associated in art and literature with the fairer sex, and thus inextricably bound to all the race and cultural implications that have long privileged
An ear-length blunt cut, worn with or without bangs, the bob became a widely popular hairstyle for women during the 1920s. Associated with the young women known as flappers, the bob became a visual metaphor for the social changes taking place during this period. Prior to the 1920s, a woman’s hair was considered her crowning
Lacquered puffiness, usually on top of the head but sometimes also on the sides, to increase the hair’s height and volume characterizes the bouffant hairstyle. The hairstyle’s name comes from the French verb bouffer, meaning to puff out or to swell. An urban legend, known to folklorists as “The Fatal Hairdo” or “The Spider in
The Afro is a hairstyle that was popularized by African Americans in the late 1960s and 1970s, and signaled racial pride and the embrace of a new aesthetic. Characterized by stretching tightly coiled or kinky hair into a large round crown, the Afro is one of the most recognizable hairstyles in American culture. Alternately heralded
Throughout different periods in Western history, men and women have both embraced what today is considered to be androgynous fashion. Prior to the Industrial Revolution and before the decline of the aristocracy in the late 18th century, aristocratic men indulged in cosmetics, preferred perfectly coifed hair and powdered wigs, and adorned themselves in lace, velvets
Throughout history, people’s positions in society, status, work, and worldview were dictated virtually from birth by the social class/socioeconomic status and other characteristics of their families of origin. Furthermore, men and women were ascribed different roles in society and in the family. Sex differences in lifestyle and careers were profound and largely immutable in any