Posts Tagged ‘fashion’
The Women and Their Hair
The Women and Their Hair by Jocelyn Iyog
Women and their hair have changed according to the current styles. Throughout the ages, women in the Western World have been partly defined by their hair style.
The styles in the last four centuries have been varied. The woman during the Renaissance period in the 15th century had an unusual and painful way to wear their hair. The appearance of a high forehead was coveted. Thus, the women in the upper classes plucked the entire front hairline away! In the 16th century, during Queen Elizabeth’s reign, women copied her style by wearing red wigs and white face powder. Elaborate wigs and very elaborate coiffures with curls were the fashion during the 18th century. A very popular style was a white powdered wig with long ringlets. Feathers, bows and garlands adorned the wigs. In fact, some ladies wore extremely tall wigs and created mini-bird cages complete with live birds.
Women hairstyles became more subdued after that period of frivolity. The 
Victorians wore their hair simply smoothed down with oils and curled into long ringlets. The hair was then simply pinned to the nape of the neck. Hair that was neat and tidy was the fashion. Bangs were short and there was hair accessories were plain. In the 1920, the flappers cut their hair and wore bobbed haircuts. This was a show of rebellion against the stereotypical role of the woman. Long, wavy hair was popular in the 1940s.
The weekly “shampoo and set” was the mantra of the tidy hairstyles of the 1950s. Layering and softly curled hair epitomized the 1970s. Since the 1980s, women no longer feel that they have to wear their hair to please anyone but themselves.
