Hair Design: Changing With the Times
If it’s true that a woman’s hairstyle is her most important accessory, revealing her personality and her adventurousness or conservatism, what does your hair say about you?
I suppose my short, zero-maintenance haircut points to my overall low-maintenance look. Basically, I’m a hair designer’s nightmare. I’ve never met a hair designer who hasn’t wanted to give me a chic new style or a complete color overhaul. (The one nod my hair gives to the adventurous aspect of my personality is my blonde highlights. How daring!)
After all, people are known for their hairstyle–think Farrah Fawcett’s 1970s feathered look, for one. And what about the public outcry in 1999 when Keri Russell of the TV show “Felicity” cropped her long, curly hair into a pixie do? If that doesn’t speak to the importance of hairstyles, I don’t know what does.
And when it comes to hair, it’s obvious if you’re not changing with the times. The late fashion designer Bill Blass once said, “The secret of living is not staying too long. I have learned when to leave the party.” In other words, if you’re still sporting a ’50s-era bouffant, you might want to rethink your style. Besides, if your hair designer were still pushing the “Rachel” from the 1990s, you’d probably look for another designer.
Going even further back, history provides classic examples of the ever-evolving nature of hair design. In the 1700s, during the reign of Louis XV in France, women began hiring artists to create hairstyles depicting the themes of the elaborate French socialite parties they were attending. Their hair was draped over a frame stuffed with cotton, wool, or straw and cemented with a paste that hardened. Hair was then powdered and decorated. And, get this: Women were known to sport live birds in cages, waterfalls, cupids, and naval battles in their hairdos!
As you can imagine, these hair designs got a bit out of control. Women suffered backaches from the weight of these creations. Not only that, but the pomades holding these styles together were made of beef lard and bear grease. Because women traditionally kept their hairdos for a week or two, their hair became rancid and would often attract vermin. Unfortunately, shampoo didn’t make its debut until Breck entered the market in the 1930s. Aren’t you glad you missed this chapter in the history of hair design?
Change is good. And if you’re interested in hair design, change must be a key term in your career vocabulary. Maybe you can even convince low-maintenance gals like me to consider a new style …
-Robyn Tellefsen