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 glory and was generally worn long, uncut, and styled into heavy arrangements that incorporated both real and false hair. Females with short haircuts were either very young, invalids, or those who functioned on the margins of society. The popularity of the bob changed this perception of the short-haired woman and moved her into the mainstream.
The first appearance of the bob can be traced to 1908, when the French hairstylist Antoine cut the hair of actress Eve Lavallière into a short cut that Antoine dubbed Jeanne d’Arc. In 1909, French fashion designer Paul Poiret cropped the hair of his models for a fashion show. From this point on, the bob began to appear on the heads of women associated with the arts. Dancer Irene Castle Isadora Duncan, author Colette, actress Louise Brooks, and fashion designer Coco Chanel all sported bobs during the teens or ’20s.
The bob truly came into its own as the fashionable silhouette began to move toward a slim, streamlined, almost boyish look in the late teens and the early ’20s. The sleek, neat lines of the bob perfectly complemented these styles, and helped propel the cut into widespread popularity. Bobs were particularly popular with young women, who considered the easy-care cut more practical and hygienic than the styles favored by older generations. From the original blunt-cut, numerous variations emerged, many of which were named. These included the coconut, the orchid, the garçon, the French swirl, and the Eton crop, which was an extremely short, slicked-back style. For women who were hesitant to have their hair cut, bob wigs were widely available.
The bob became a genuinely international style, with fashion periodicals noting its appearance in countries as diverse as France, China, Mexico, Germany, and the United States. As the bob became more widespread, it also became more controversial. Religious leaders railed against it; doctors warned that the exposed neck would lead to more frequent colds; while hairstylists feared that it would put them out of business. Many young women whose parents refused to allow them to bob their hair invented tales of assaults that ended in their crowning glory being shorn into a short bob. This distaste for the bob pointed to a general discomfort with the ways in which young women were adopting new behaviors and pastimes such as dancing publicly, working outside the home, and engaging in sporting activities.
Despite the hopes of some critics, the bob was not simply a passing fad. Though the extremely severe variations of the bob faded from popularity, many women persisted in keeping their hair relatively short. In fact, the bob ushered in an era of popularity for short hair that lasted until the late 1960s, when long hair moved back into fashion’s spotlight; nevertheless, the bob remains a sought-after style and a symbol of a carefree attitude.
Leave a Reply