Hair Through The Ages: Top 20 Hairstyles Over The Last 20 Decades
Which Haira Would You Choose?
Just as the likes of elephant pants, corsets, and powdered wigs have gone in and (thankfully) out of fashion, so have hairstyles. The last 200 years have seen everything from intricate, sculpted braids to Princess Leia space buns go in and out of vogue. Some of them were short-lived, but that doesn't mean they didn't make their mark, with some of the hairstyles being the most defining aspect of that decade's fashion. Here are the 20 most popular hairstyles of the last 20 decades.
1. 1820s - Ringlets
The 1820s were defined by tight curls framing the face, cascading towards the jaw, with the rest of the hair usually pulled back into a bun. It was influenced by the Romantic movement and popularized by royals Marie Antoinette and Queen Victoria.
After Jean-Laurent Mosnier on Wikimedia
2. 1830s - The Updo
In the 1830s, a hairdresser's taste was to defy gravity. Elaborate updos consisting of high-volume buns or chignons, often including intricate braids or twists, with huge curls cascading down the side of the face, were all the rage.
3. 1840s - The Center Part
The 1840s saw a return to a more humble and simple hairstyle in keeping with the Victorian era's emphasis on purity and modesty. Women would part their hair in the middle, smooth it flat over their scalps, and draw it tightly back into a low bun or braid.
Johann Georg Lumnitzer on Wikimedia
4. 1850s - The Side Bun
The Princess Leia look originates further back than you might've expected. This modest, refined look was a staple of the 1850s.
5. 1860s - Braids
Braids have more or less always been in style, but the 1860s saw a particular brand of braid come into fashion. The look entailed a center part, smoothly combed over the crown, which gave way to multiple braids twisted into coils, figure-eights, or crowns and often adorned by flowers, hairpins, or brooches: an elaborate sculpture on the head.
6. 1870s - Voluminous Hair
The 80s weren't the first decade to favor big hair. The 1870s saw a dramatic change from the modest, flat looks of the previous few decades. Padding and pompadour rolls created height, romance, and drama.
Charles Bergamasco on Wikimedia
7. 1880s - The Langtry Knot
Named after actress and socialite Lillie Langtry, the Langtry knot was the first example of a messy bun. It was a softly structured bun at the crown or back of the head with wisps or soft curls left around the hairline. Infinitely more relaxed than the updos of previous decades, the look screamed effortless cool and youthfulness.
John Everett Millais on Wikimedia
8. 1890s - The "Gibson Girl"
The Gibson Girl was the fashion icon influencer of the era. The only thing different about her was that she didn't actually exist; she was a fictional ideal drawn up by an illustrator to feature in magazines. The big, soft, puffed, fun updo that she sported became the most coveted hairstyle of the day.
MissouriStateArchives on Wikimedia
9. 1900s - Organic
The 1900s saw a switch to more organic, natural, and free hair aesthetics. For the first time, women began wearing their hair down outside of the house, and updos were less structured.
10. 1910s - Pile High With Headbands
It may surprise you to learn that wearing headbands as a hair adornment didn't start with 1960s hippies. To go with the more free-flowing looks of the time, women paired their loose pompadour and messy buns with headbands and other hair adornments like flowers for a bohemian style.
11. 1920s - The Bob
Nothing screams the roaring 20s quite like the flapper girl aesthetic. This decade saw a dramatic shift in women's fashion toward a simple, comfort-forward, almost boyish look, which wouldn't have been complete without the short bob haircut, distinct for its blunt fringe, S-shaped waves, and sharp, clean lines.
12. 1930s - Romantic Waves
Hollywood's golden era inspired the soft, romantic, lusious curls of the 1930s, associated with the stars of the silver screen. The look was characterized by glossy shoulder-length locks parted on the side and gentle, cascading curls.
13. 1940s - Victory Rolls
Victory rolls were famously worn during WWII, named after the maneuver fighter pilots would perform as a sign of victory. They were characterized by the "v" shape formed by the curls at the top of the head. Bobby pins and setting lotion were used to create sharply defined curls closely associated with pin-up girls.
14. 1950s - The Beehive
The impossibly voluminous beehive became synonymous with the rock n' roll era. It involved teasing the hair and using a setting lotion or strong hairspray so it would stand up and form a beehive-like dome on the top of the head. Everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Marilyn Monroe rocked this luxurious style at some point.
15. 1960s - The Mod Cut
In the 1960s, Brits were all the rage. The British Invasion saw music of bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks take over the world, and their hairstyles came with them. The Mod Cut or Mop Top was the messy, medium-length cut with a parted fringe that all the boys were rocking.
16. 1970s - The Shag
In the 1970s, the lines between "feminine" and "masculine" styles became blurred. Men and women alike let their hair flow freely, exuding free-spirited and rebellious vibes. The more wild and untamed-looking, the better.
17. 1980s - Big Hair
The 1980s were all about over-the-top beauty trends. Nothing demonstrates this more perfectly than the big hair trend. Women would go to great lengths and through many bottles of hairspray to achieve the full-bodied and bouncy hairstyle popularized by beauty icons Raquel Welch and Farrah Fawcett.
18. 1990s - The Caesar Cut
It got its name from Julius Caesar but is somehow more synonymous with the 90s than any other era. The hairstyle is short around the sides, longer on top, with a straight fringe. You can see a perfect example of it immortalized by Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.
19. 2000s - Frosted Tips
The early aughts saw every man and boy looking like they could be a member of NSYNC with their peroxide-destroyed hair tips, usually spiked straight up with mousse. Everyone from Matthew McConaughey to Brad Pitt was going around looking like they had polka-dotted hair.
20. 2010s - Ombré
What basic pumpkin spice latte-sipping girl of the 2010s wasn't rocking ombré? The look was characterized by a gradient color transition from dark to light. Beyoncé, Drew Barrymore, and Jessica Alba all sported the look at some point in the last decade.
