Figure 1.--This style of bangs became quite popular for American boys in the 1990s. I'm not sure what the popular name of this cut is. As you can see it and similar bang styles were worn by boys of various ages.
|
Figure 1.--This style of bangs became quite popular for American boys in the 1990s. I'm not sure what the popular name of this cut is. As you can see it and similar bang styles were worn by boys of various ages. |
Boys hair fashions have ranged even more significantly than
their clothes and have varied from the long sausage curls of the
1880-90s to shaved heads in Germany in the early 20th century and
the short crew cuts in the America of the 1950s. Long hair became popular again in the 1970s and early 1980s. Boys in the 1990s have been more free to select a style and length that suited them with no one style predominating. The long hair worn in the 1970s, however, is now rarely seen. One style popular in the 1990s has been shearing the head off at the neck giving a bowl-cut
look.
In our modern age the greatest attention is given to women's hair styling. Lesser attention is given to that of men and children. This has not always been the case. Men have given great attention to hair styling in some ciltures and historical eras. In our modern era, boys have begun gicing great attention to their hair. This began with Elvis Presly and his side burns in the 1950s and the Beattles in the 1960s with what was at the time considered long hair. The teenage boy in the 1990s might spend considerable time preening in front of a mirror. Perhaps not as much time as the modern girl, but certainly more than was common in the 1950s.
I have listed here the boys' hair styles with which I am familiar. Unfortunately in many cases I do not know the formal names for these cuts or much information about them. Please let me know if you are aware of any others or have any childhood
memories about your hair styles. Hopefully someone with barbering experiences swill eventually help us analize the various cut styles.
Afro-America boys and young adults also began wearin their hair
longer in the 1970s. The bushy cuts were called Afros.
Bangs are hair that is cut to hang brushed down over the forehead. This is called a fringe in some countries. Bangs in America have been commonly worn since the 19th century. They were less popular in Britain. The "Dutch boy" cut was popularly worn with Buster Brown suits at the turn of the century. Younger boys often were kept in bangs throughout the 1900s. Jacki's choice of hair cut for John Kennedy Jr. and the Beattles made bangs popular even for older boys in the 1960s and the style was commonly seen through the 1980s. Bangs tend to be a very popular style for girls and little boys in Japan.
Bowl cuts were commonly used for hundreds of years by poor and rural families. Mothers in the 19th century, especially rural or low-income families often cut their child's hair themselves, using a bowl over the child's head for an even cut. Movie goers will remember the hair cut of the boy in the classic western Shane. It is also called a
pudding basin haircut--another term for a bowl cut that is derived from the history of the cut. This term is not a widely used term these days. Other names for this haircut are bo wl crop, basin cut and basin crop. The roundheads of English 17th Century history got their name from this haircut.The apprentices rioting in London wore their hair 'cut around the head' using a bowl as a guide; hence the name roundhead. Two German names for this haircut are Topfschnitt and Pottschnitt. The cut gets its name from its origi ns of placing a bowl on the head and then cutting off everything that protrudes from under the bowl. This
gives hair of up to several inches in length on top with and close cropped hair below the bowl line and no blend (or transition) between the two lengths. The bowl cut was common in rural America in the 19th Century and became popular again during the Great Depression (1930s) as an easy and inexpensive way of cutting boy's hair. While techniques may have improved, the cut still has the same basic characteristics of longer hair on top and short hair below a "bowl line", which is usually just above the ears. (Also see under cut and dipped mushroom cut below.) This style reappeared again in the 1990s for boys with the hair cut long, often with bangs at the front, but cut very short around the ears and neck.
Hair bows for girls became
very popular in the late 19th century. The bows grew in size until
by the 1890s they could be huge, nearly as large as the girls'head. Some mothers were not content just to put bows in their daughter's hair. Some romatically inclined mothers decided that keeping their boys in long hair and curls might add a decorative hair
bow. This practice was realtively uncommon in Britain and the United
States, although there are many instances none the lessd. It seems to
have been more common in France. I imagine the bnoys involved were not
to pleased with this, but have no actual first hand accounts.
Some boys in the late 19th and early 20th century wore their long hair in braids. While popular for girls, this was not a common style for boys. In America, it was more common to curl long hair, but some boys wore braids.
One particularly popular style in the 1990s was a short brush cut with a long tightly permed fringe at the back. This is a longer variation of the crewcut. It gets its name because the hair is cut to stand up like the bristles of a brush.
The butch is a short cut in which the hair is cut an even, short length (usually around 1/4 inch or less) all over. Outside the United States, this cut is generally called a crewcut. Within the U.S., a butch would be usually considered as shorter than a crewcut. The butch is distinguished from a classic American crewcut by its even length all over (where an American crewcut has a little extra length at the front of the head).
The buzz cut is another short hair style. HBC is not sure how some of these short hair styles varied. The buzz cut appears to have been a popular style in the 1990s as the long hair styles of the 1970s and 80s decline in popularity.
Short hair with a fringe at the front became popular with boys in the mid-1950s at the same time that coon-skin caps appeared. The style was popular among many boys at it required little care. Once it became an established style, however, and parents became insisting on it in the 1960s, boys becan to insist on longer hair which with Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and other rock stars was becoming more popular. Outside the United States, the term crewcut has a much narrower meaning than inside the U.S. The non-U.S. definition is a cut that is short all over (about 1/4 inch), perhaps tapered a little at the back and sides. Inside the U.S. Within the U.S., crewcut is used more broadly to refer to a range of short haircuts. In general the U.S. definition refers to a cut that is tapered at the back and sides but may be up to
one inch on top.
I'm not really sure what to call this style either, nor
have I seen it mentioned in the literature consulted so far in my
research. For want of a better term I will refer to it as a double
part. The style involves two parallel parts on both sides of the head. I know that boys with ringlets hafd the side parts joined as a "U" at
the back of the head. I'm not sure about the boys without ringlets.
I believe thid was an exclusively boys' style, although I still
know very little about it. As far as I can tell it was worn from about
1840-1880, although this is only a guess arrived at from the few available images I have. I have only noted this style in American photographs and not in Europen photiographs, although admittely I have seen fewer European photographs.
This actually included a range of styles in which the hair is cut so that the top of the hair is cut into a flat surface. This style can have a range of lengths. Depending upon the
length of the cut and the hair type, gel or pomade will be required to hold the hair in place. The longer the hair on top, the greater the effort required to style it. The cut gives a flat top surface on the round shape of the head. This means that the hair at the front central area of the head is cut shorter than the hair at the front and around the top sides of the head. Because of this, a short flattop will allow the scalp at the front central area of the head to be visible. This is known as a landing strip. If the hair is left longer on top, the front and upper sides will require more styling
(such as blow-drying and either gel or pomade) to hold it place. The sides of a flattop are generally cut very short (although some variations of the cut can have the hair at the sides much longer than on top and slicked down). Another variation of the flat top is to have the back and sides shaved completed clean (with lather and a razor). This variation is known as
white walls. Flat tops were very popular in the 1950s.
I'm not really sure what to call this style, nor
have I seen it mentioned in the literature consulted so far in my
research. For want of a better term I will refer to it as a hair knot. The style involves sweeping a boys hair into a knot or bun on the top
of the head. I believe thid was an exclusively boys' style, although I still know very little about it. As far as I can tell it was worn from about 1840-1880, although this is only a guess arrived at from the few available images I have. I have only noted this style in American photographs. It may not have been very popular as I have not noted it in the drawings and illustrations reproduced in fashion magazines. Nor I have noted it any foreign photographs.
Some boys had a large front curl. HBC has limited information on this hair style. It is another late 19th century boys' style. This is somewht related to the hair knot style. I was generally worn by younger boys without enough hair for a complete set of ringlet curls.
This style involves cutting the hair on different parts of the head is approximately the same length (instead of being cut longer in the centre and shorter around the edges). This cut contrasts from tapered cuts and bowl cuts. HBC first observed this cut in the 1990s, but in fact has little information about it. The layeroing affect can be used in a variety of ways. Often for younger boys it is incorporated with bangs which then follolw the head around in a kind of bowl cut. Hopefully, HBC readers can provide more information on this style. We have seen this style primarily worn in America.
Long hair became popular for boys after the publication of Frances Hodgson Burnett's book Little Lord Fauntleroy in 1885-86. Many romantically enclined American mother sought to recreate Cedric in their little darlings. Often the boys' hair was curled. Sometimes it was just left long or put into bangs. After the turn of the century long hair became uncommon, except for very small boys. Long hair has meant different styles to varius generations. In the 1880s, long hair was shoulder-length ringlet curls. In the 1960s, bushy John-John bangs were considered long hair by many. There was a revival of long hair beginning in the mid-1960s, influenced by John-John Kennedy's bangs, the Beattle's cut, and incrasingly long hair worn by popular rock groups. Relatively long, uncurled hair was very
common for boys through the mid-1980s.
Figure 2.--This 1841 Reynolds portrait shows English hair styles for little boys during the 1840s. |
Hair comes in all type from straight to natuarlly curly. When the style
of keeping younger boys hair long increased in popularity, some
mothers found that the boys' hair was natuarally curly. Some mothers
were particularly enamored with this look and begun to curl their sons
hair to produce the desired effect. Often boys with this style would
wear their hair over their ears, but not down to shoulder level as with
ringlet curls. Mothers liked to keep their babies and todlers in curls. Except for the Fautlroy period of the 1880s-90s. For the most part this was just the natural curls of the young boys. They were normally cut when the 19th century boy went from dresses to pants. Often mothers would save the
shorn curls as a keepsake.
Figure 3.--British boys at about 8 years were commonly sent to spartan boarding schools. Until that time mothers often had them wear their hair long over the ears. Younger boys might have curls and older boys bangs. This particular boy, in case you do not recognize him, is the real life boy whom one of the most belved chilhood character is based. |
Mothers in the 1920s-30s liked to keep their boys hair long. Often mothers in affluent families were more apt to keep their children's hair long. After World War I, long shoulder length hair was no longer found, but often hair over the ears was considered stylish for younger boys--at least by proud mothers. America boys would have their hair cut short when they entered first grade at about 6 years of age. British boys might not have their hair cut until they were about 8 years old and sent off to their preparatory boarding
school.
The page boy cut was based on the hair style of Medieval pages at royal courts. I'm not positive that this was a style worn just by the pages or rather was the adult male style of the day. The page boy cut had bangs at the front and carefully styled hair over the ears. It was worn by boys in the late 19th, but was more popular in the early 20th century. It was not, however, a major style worn by large numbers of boys. By the 1920s only a small mumber of younger boys wore page boy cuts. There was a revival in the 1970s when American boys began wearing longer hair. It was not, however, one of the major styles of the 70s.
Pig tails or queues were commonly worn in the 18th century. They were not a juvenile style, however, but worn by men and boys. Commonly there was just one rather than the twin style. HBC has not noted pig tails in the 19th centuty after the first decade. We do note them reappearing in the early 20th century, primarily after Word War I (1914-18). They were, however, a girls' hair style. A few younger boys in the eraly 20th century wore them, but this was not very common.
The pompadour or pomp is the style of wearing the hair brushed back off the forehead.
Typically a pompadour is not parted, but just brushed straight up and
back. The pompadour is also a woman's hairstyle again with the hair brushed back high from the forehead, into a roll (much higher than for a man's pompadour). The term is named after a woman (Marquise de Pompadour, a mistress of France's Louis XV). The pompadour is referred to (as a man's hairstyle) in John Steinbeck's classic 1952 novel "East of Eden": He was wearing a flat-topped, narrow-brimmed hat, very stylish, and when he saw them he broke into a run and yanked off his hat and they could see that this bright hair was clipped to a short brush of a pompadour that stood straight up.
Figure 4.--Boys dressed in Fauntleroy suits were often done up in long sausage curls or at least long hair and bangs. Long hair became less common after the turn of the century. |
Ringlet curls became fashionable for women in the early 19th century. Soon doting mothers were styling their daughters and some younger sons with ringlets. Even younger boys wearing ringlets, however, was not common until the later part of the 19th century. Some boys were put into long ringlet or sausage curls by doting mothers during the
Fautleroy craze of the 1880s-90s. In some cases it was not just very young boys who wore ringlets. This style required a great deal of work to maintain, almost necesitating that the boys so attired were from wealthy families which could afford hired help. It was particularly prevalent in America. The style went out of fashion after the turn of the century, but boys in long curls were occasionally seen until the 1920s.
This is reffered to as the "regulation" hair cut in America. It is a very short tapered haircut. The back and sides are cut very short back and sides - a widely-used term used in
Australia and New Zealand (especially before the 1970s) to describe a
short tapered cut. A barber in New Zealand provided the following
information about the term "short back and sides": Before the 1970's the most common haircut given in New Zealand was the "short back and sides" which is 1/8th inch on the back and sides (tapered 'round the edge) and reasonably short on top regardless of whether it is brushed back, flat top, side part, center part, or whatever. A male (regardless of age) would religiously get his hair cut every 2-3 weeks without fail and accordingly all that was needed on the top was a trim. A New Zealand written song uses as part of it's lyrics referring to the New Zealand male's haircut "a bit off the top and short back and sides".
Figure 5.--Sailor suits were one of the most popular styles for German boys. Note the older boy in the short pants sailor suit whose hair has been shaved in a photograph taken before the First World War. |
Even more severe than the crew cut was shaving a boy's head.
This style was common for school age German boys in the late 19th century and the early 20th century. It appears to have past, however, by the 1930s and the NAZI era. One might have thought that the milatarism of the NAZIs might have reinspired it, but this was not the case. This could have reflected the NAZI leadership's desire not to emphasize their clear desire to launch another war. This style is currently cut completely to the sking using a razor (either some form of blade razor or an electric razor). This should not be confused with hair that is cut using clippers. A crewcut or a buzzcut is not shaved. Too many people tell their barbers that they want part or all of their head shaved, when they actually want a tapered cut or some other clipper cut. I'm not sure how the German boys' had their hair cut.
Side burns which were a common adult stlyle in the mid-1860s
appeared again on teenagers during the late 1950s, in part a reaction to the short crew cuts which had become an "established" look. The style received great popularity as a result of the metioric career of Elvis Presly.
Figure 6.--Most boys in the 20th-Century have wanted short haircuts. Beginning in the late 1960s, longer hair styles became much more popular. |
Short hair cuts became increasingly popular in the 1990s. The style was to cut the hair short all around without any noticeable styling. The hair is cut at about 1/4 inch length. Because of the length there is no noticeable part. This style appears to have been more popular in Europe than in America. In this style the side burns are cut well above the ear at about the level where the ear joins the suide of the ear.
Figure 7.--This boy wears the spikey hair look of the 1990s. Note the natty double-breasted jacket that never seems to go out of style. |
The spikey and outrageously colored hair of British punks has inspired a substantially modified spikey hair style worn by boys in the 1990s. Of course the hair style for boys doesn't have the bright colors and prominent spikes. But there is a clear spikey look. Perhaps even Bart Simpson had an impact here.
The hair at the back is cut at the bottom as a defined straight line. The hair is left full and is not tapered at the back or the sides. A square back can be used with a range of styles, including a crewcut, an ivy league or college cut or a flattop.
We have noted a style with the hair combed straight back without a part. This appears, hoswever, to have been more a tennage and young adult style than a boys' style. We have noted this style in the 1920s, but do not have a complere timeline at this time. Boys woth this style could easily convert to a side or center part style, although the nhair combed straight back was sometimes cit longer than hair styles with center parts. We have noted this style in America, but are unsure to what extent it was worn in other countries. Some might call this the Gatsby look.
Boys have sometimes worn strands of hair, often associated with shorter cuts. This was the predominate style for boys in aincient Egypt who had shaved heads except for a strand of hair worn at the side. It is still today worn by ortyhodoc Jewish boys. Strands became popular for American boys in the 1980s, often worn with a short hair style.
This i s the style of having the hair cut getting progressively shorter lower down
towards the nape of the head. This is generally done with electric clippers and
gives a crisper, freshly cut look. The degree of tapering can range from a slight taper to a style in
which the hair around the nape and around the
ears is completely shaven.
This is a style worn by mods in England during the
late 1950s and early 1960s. It was a time when boys' clothing and school
uniform styles were just begining to change significantly from the styles
worn since the 1930s and so were hair styles. Typically the hair was cut relatively long (for the time), brushed back, and heavily greased. To read more about mods, teddy boys, including hairstyle information, read the article "Mod. The Life and How to Live It", which is part of an English website.
This cut is much like a bowl cut except the ridge of the bowl is not
where the cuttings ends. The ridge of the bowl is lifted so the hair is clipper cut
further up the side of the head an additional one to two inches. This allows the head to be shaken and the bowl look will always return to its regular shape. The sides may either be "white-walled" or cut to 1/8" length. The bottom of the back may be either faded
or square cut.
HBC is primarily a clothing site. The hair style information is something we have added largely because we observed haie styles as so imortant to many clothing outfits. It wold have been incomplete, for example, without also discussing ringlet curls. Unfortunately we have not yet been able to research hair
styles in detail yet. In particular we do not have good information on what some of the old time hair styles were called. Our information on some modern styles is also limite. A HBC reader, for example. asked "
hi could you please tell me what the name of the haircut with a flick at the front and just normal lenghted hair at the top." HBC does not know. We are hoping that a reader with knowledge about either historical or modern cuts will provide some information or point us to some useful sources.
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