How Hair Designs Have Changed Over Time?
Many scholars usually trace various epochs of history by observing changes in political adjustments, economic statuses, social conditions, religious movements, civil movements and even art and music so that they can gain a more complete understanding of how and why these changes took place overtime and among people across the world, and changes in hair designs have been equally useful in understanding the times in which they changed.
Hair designs would usually tend to reflect the historical period in which that hair style or design became popular, and hair designs can be accurately traced as far back as biblical times, and possibly even further. Whats more is that various hair designs over time moved from culture to culture and from country to country across the world. In early historical periods, hair was regarded as a valuable possession between both men and women, and hair made a statement. For instance in the time of the Pharaohs the royals had elaborate wigs adorned with golden ornaments specially made for them to emphasize the difference between them and the rest of the Egyptian peasantry.
As times changed and various countries and cultures evolved into their own, different hair and designs styles emerged to indicate a feature of their new culture. For instance, in India elaborate braided and knotted hair styles were customary for special occasions such as weddings and married women wore their natural hair parted down the middle and colored with bindi or red powder to indicate that she was married. In Japanese culture the everyday working class wore their hair in a single braid and pulled back, but when various types of artistry started emerging throughout the country, artists such as a Geisha distinguished themselves and their art in the clothes and make up and hair designs they wore. A popular hair design for an apprentice Geisha was the Split Peach which not only served the purpose of indicating to others that she is an apprentice, but also to build a sizeable clientele with the seductively designed hair style.
Still, the biggest phenomena of hair designs began with the entertainment world found only in Hollywood. The US saw the rage from the 30s forward when hair seemed to be a prerequisite for fame. Many of the more famed actors and actresses realized it because of the blonde locks they sported on the big screen made them stand out more in black and white. Actresses such as Mae West, Veronica Lake, and Jean Harlow used their platinum looking healthy hair to generate stares wherever they showed up on screen or off. From the 50s and 60s, the designs for hair came in and went out as styles changed. Musicians, actors, and actresses began setting trends and the entertainment industry single-handedly changed the world of fashion and hair design. Just as quickly as they sold tickets for their shows, people were rushing out to look like the beautiful ones they saw in their favorite films.
From Marilyn Monroe to Farrah Fawcett to Dorothy Hamill and even todays goddess of hair Jennifer Aniston have all changed the way we look at hair, and that reflects our ever changing society. But most importantly, it conveys the image of the character they are playing and the real person behind the role. Hair is an artform that we wear on our body. How we wear it tells others what our personality is and how adventuresome or conservative we are. And from the changes in hair designs weve seen throughout history, we can certainly expect to see more unique, radical and even ridiculous hair styles in the future.
