Hairstyles Through The Ages
Have you ever considered where female hairstyles came from? No one really knows for sure when hair styling became an important part of appearance. Historically, hair styling, treatments, and enhancements have been around since our earliest written records. Every culture and period in history has their own styles and methods. So, just for fun, let’s take a quick look at some of the popular female hairstyles from the past and present.
Historical Timeline of Female Hairstyles
Lady Godiva
10th Century B.C. – Women and men used fat-based hair gel for the common hairstyles of long, short, curly, and slicked down looks. They even used hair extensions way back in that era!
1st Century B.C. – Greek and Roman women of means used their hairstyle as a status symbol. Typically wearing their hair long with braids and commonly using powered gold for highlights, they signaled their social superiority by having the fanciest and shiniest hair.
1,000 A.D. – It’s well documented that women of this time period (i.e. Lady Godiva) wore their hair quite long. Long hair was considered to be a distinctly female trait during this time period. Even today, long hair is more often seen as feminine than short hair.
1300-1400 A.D. – During the middle-ages women wore their hair long and braided with it either hanging down their backs or curled up into buns and attached against their ears.
1500 A.D. – Queen Elizabeth’s hairstyle was very trendy for the times using pin curls around the forehead and hanging down shoulder length with plucked hairlines and eyebrows creating a high-looking forehead appearance.
1700 A.D. – Once again high society set the pattern (Marie Antoinette) utilizing tall powdered wigs decorated with trinkets. Commoners used a variety of creative ornamental accessories such as feathers, shells, lace and even birdcages. During this era hairdressers became popular for the society minded.
1800 A.D. – Feminine curls on top were patterned after the stately Greek and Roman styles and accessorizing using ribbons were all the rage. Later, toward the turn of the century, female hairstyles were looser flowing.
1920’s – Ah, yes, the roaring 20s! Gaiety was the ticket! Women became more independent sporting the newly created bob hairstyle with pixie cut sideburns giving them a liberated feeling from the past social norms.
1930’s – The permanent wave was introduced allowing long lasting bob styling with a breezier look.
1940’s – Enter longer locks with self-styling and often worn in the popular Victory Roll (Rita Hayworth)
1950’s – The volume-filled bouffant (Marilyn Monroe and Jackie Kennedy) with color and perms were definitely in.
1960’s – Independent hairstyles took over using high maintenance geometric shapes and angular bobs.
1970’s – Afros gave way to long, straight female hairstyles with natural-looking highlights. Farah Fawcett’s curls and Dorothy Hamill’s wedge increased in popularity. Blow dryers, round brushes and curling irons were the tools of choice.
1980-1990’s – Frosted, scrunched hairstyles became the norm (Madonna). Supersized with fuller hair and brighter streaks, wavy looks and flippy updos (Kate Moss) and the very popular Rachel (Jennifer Anniston) became the go-to style.
2000’s – Long, beach-curl waves with tanned, honey-toned streaks (Gisele Bundchen & Jennifer Lopez) are the female hairstyles currently popular with the “in crowd.”
If you want to read more, check out hairstyler.com to read the original story.
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