Bob cut

A bob cut or bob is a short haircut for women (and oc-

casionally men) in which the hair is typically cut straight
around the head at about the level of the jaw-level, often
with a fringe (or bangs) at the front.
1 History
Polaire in 1910
Historically, women in the west have usually worn their
hair long. Although young girls, actresses and a few ad-
vanced or fashionable women had worn short hair even
before World War I
[1][2][3][4]
for example in 1910 the
French actress Polaire, (right) is described as having a
shock of short, dark hair,
[5]
a cut she adopted in the
early 1890s
[6]
the style was not considered generally
respectable
[7]
until given impetus by the inconvenience of
long hair to girls engaged in war work.
[8][9]
English soci-
ety beauty Lady Diana Cooper, who had had bobbed hair
as a child,
[10]
kept the style through her teenage years
[11]
and continued in 1914 as an adult.
[12]
Renowned dancer
and fashion trendsetter Irene Castle introduced her Cas-
tle bob to a receptive American audience in 1915, and by
1920 the style was rapidly becoming fashionable.
[13]
Pop-
ularized by lm stars Colleen Moore and Louise Brooks
in the early 1920s, it was still seen as a somewhat shock-
ing statement of independence in young women, as older
people were used to seeing girls wearing long dresses and
heavy Edwardian-style hair. Hairdressers, whose training
was mainly in arranging and curling long hair, were slow
to realise that short styles for women had arrived to stay,
and so barbers in many cities found lines of women out-
side their shops, waiting to be shorn of hair that had taken
many years to grow.
[14][15]
Although as early as 1922 the fashion correspondent of
The Times was suggesting that bobbed hair was pass,
[16]
by the mid-1920s the style (in various versions, often
worn with a side-parting, curled or waved, and with the
hair at the nape of the neck shingled short), was the
dominant female hairstyle in the Western world. The
style was spreading even beyond the West, as women who
rejected traditional roles adopted the bob cut as a sign of
modernity.
[17]
Close-tting cloche hats had also become
very popular, and couldn't be worn with long hair. Well-
known bob-wearers were actresses Clara Bow and Joan
Crawford, as well as Dutch lm star Truus van Aalten.
As the 1930s approached, women started to grow
their hair longer, and the sharp lines of the bob were
abandoned.
[18]
1.1 Shingle bob
The shingle bob is a short hairstyle for women, intro-
duced in 1924. Below a dome-shaped bob cut, the hair
at the neck is razor cut very short in a v-shape. It is also
commonly referred to as a graduated bob.
1.2 1960s and beyond
In the 1960s, Vidal Sassoon made it popular again, us-
ing the shape of the early bob and making it more stylish
in a simpler cut. Its resurgence coincided with the ar-
rival of the extquotedblmop top extquotedbl Beatle cut
for men.
[19]
Those associated with the bob at that time in-
cluded the fashion designers Mary Quant and Jean Muir,
actresses Nancy Kwan, Carolyn Jones, Barbara Feldon
and Amanda Barrie, and singers as diverse as Keely
Smith, Cilla Black, Billie Davis, Juliette Grco, Mireille
Mathieu and Beverly Bivens of the American group We
Five. Many styles and combinations of the bob have
evolved since. In the late 1980s, Siouxsie Sioux, lead
singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and Corinne Drew-
ery, singer of Swing Out Sister, had bob cuts for a short
1
2 4 REFERENCES
Anna Wintour with a bob haircut and a fringe/bangs
time. Singer Linda Ronstadt sported a very Louise
Brooks inspired bob on the cover of two Grammy award
winning albums in the late 1980s. 1987s Trio album
with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris and her 1989 re-
lease Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind. She
also wears the cut in the video for her duet with James
Ingram, Somewhere Out There. Anna Wintour, editor-
in-chief of American Vogue since 1988, apparently had
hers trimmed every day (Times 2, 10 July 2006). In the
early 1990s Cyndi Lauper had a bob haircut with very
unusual colors; soon afterwards, the cut became identi-
ed with Uma Thurman's character of Mia Wallace in
Quentin Tarantino's 1994 lm Pulp Fiction. In the mid to
late 1990s, T-Boz of TLC also had a bob haircut with
very unusual colors that was asymmetrical with bangs.
Also, for the rst two seasons and the rst two episodes of
the third season of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures
of Superman, the character of Lois Lane (Teri Hatcher)
had a trademark bob haircut. Also, in Barry Sonnen-
feld's 1997 lm Men in Black, the character of Dr. Laurel
Weaver (Linda Fiorentino) also sported a bob.
1.3 2000s revival
In 2006 the bob was adopted by the singer Madonna and,
as a move away from boho-chic, by actress Sienna Miller.
In November 2005, Canadian ice dancer Kristina Lenko
was asked to join ITV1's new series, Dancing on Ice.
Needing something shorter than her then waist length cut,
she went to her stylist in Toronto and told him Do what-
ever you like. The result was an asymmetric Bob cut,
which has since been heavily copied. Popularity of the
cut in the UKand Ireland can be traced to the inuence of
fashion icon and exSpice Girl Victoria Beckham hav-
ing had her hair bobbed in the same style,
[20]
with girls
asking hairdressers for a PobMs Beckhams nick-
name Posh Spice conated with bob.
In 2007, R&B singer Rihanna had a bob haircut in the
video for extquotedblUmbrella extquotedbl. She has
stated that she got her inspiration from Charlize Theron
in on Flux. Keira Knightley had a bob in her short TV
ad for Coco Mademoiselle. Actress Christina Ricci also
had a bob for live-action movie version for 60s anime se-
ries Speed Racer and later onwards. Katie Holmes got a
bob cut with bangs in 2007.
At her third show in Brisbane, Australia, Britney Spears
wore the bob throughout her concert. Jenny McCarthy
is known for a sporting an A-line bob. Kate Bosworth
is said to have popularized the bob in 2008. Shoulder-
length bobs became popular after being sported by stars
such as Heidi Klum and Jessica Alba. A shaggy version
of the bob was popularized by Dianna Agron and Rooney
Mara.
2 Types
Chinese bob: Cut at the neckline, bobbed up around
the edge.
A-line bob: A typical bob cut, with slightly longer
hair in front, cut in an asymmetrical style.
Shingle bob: An old-fashioned, dome-shaped bob
with the back razor-cut very short into a V shape.
Chin-length bob: Cut straight to the chin, with or
without bangs.
Buzz cut bob: Where it is shoulder-length in the
front and close-cropped at the back.
Shaggy bob: A messy bob layered with a razor.
Shoulder-length bob: A blunt bob that reaches the
shoulders and has very few layers.
3 See also
Bobby pin
extquotedblBernice Bobs Her Hair extquotedbl, a
short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald on the subject.
Pageboy, a similar hairstyle, usually a bit longer than
a bob.
4 References
[1] English author Molly Hughes refers to having close-
cropped hair while employed as a teacher at a Kensington
3
girls school in 1890: M. V. Hughes, A London Home in
the Nineties(1946), O.U.P.
[2] In The Adventure of the Copper Beeches by Arthur Co-
nan Doyle(1892), a young governess is asked to have her
luxuriant hair cut short as a condition of employment. Al-
though reluctant to comply she does not see the request as
unthinkable, commenting Many people are improved by
wearing it short, and perhaps I should be among the num-
ber.
[3] The Outbreak in St. Petersburg, The Times, Tuesday,
January 31, 1905; pg. 3; Issue 37618; col E. A Russian
noblewoman describes being caught amidst rioters in the
streets after a general is killed: I got right into the mid-
dle of a crowd of hooligans, who shrieked 'Hurrah!' The
men were almost on top of me, and I ... shrieked 'Hurrah'
myself, with my eyes dropping out of my head with ter-
ror. No doubt, owing to my short hair, they took me
for a student girl, and some of the roughs smiled on me
encouragingly.
[4] The Times, Friday, Jul 28, 1911; pg. 8; Issue 39649;
col A. A writer covering events at The Universal Races
Congress, a multiracial event held in London, remarked on
the obeat appearance of the British delegates: Whether
the representatives of other countries are on the whole
normal or abnormal I cannot say; but it is plain that the
Anglo-Saxons here are not representatives of the man in
the street ... There are men with long hair, women with
short hair ...
[5] The Times, Tuesday, Mar 08, 1910; pg. 12
[6] See http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:
Brooklyn_Museum_-_Polaire_from_La_Rire_-_
Henri_de_Toulouse-Lautrec.jpg
[7] In a 1906 American short story a woman desperate for
cash is obliged to cut her hair in order to sell it. She fears
her husbands reaction, however, believing he will consider
the crop hairstyle makes her look vulgar: If Jim doesn't
kill me, she said to herself, before he takes a second look
at me, he'll say I look like a Coney Island chorus girl.
(O.Henry, The Gift of the Magi,1906)
[8] The Times, Tuesday, Nov 21, 1916; pg. 15; Issue 41330;
col G An Englishwoman driving ambulances in Roma-
nia wrote: We have discarded skirts and live in riding
breeches, blouse, tunic, boots, and putties(sic); no hat and
short hair is so comfortable.
[9] The Times, Monday, Aug 05, 1918; pg. 10; Issue 41860;
col E Article headed 'The Girl On The Farm': extquoted-
blThe bobbed hair of many of the land girls and their
smocks answer this description..
[10] see Portrait of Lady Diana Manners, c. 1900
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_
of_Lady_Diana_Manners.jpg
[11] see portrait, 1906 http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Manners_-_Diana_Cooper,_Viscountess_Norwich.
jpg
[12] Portrait of Lady Diana Manners, 1914 http:
//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:John_Singer_
Sargent_-_Lady_Diana_Manners.jpg
[13] New York Times, 27 June, 1920: Vogue of bobbed hair
[14] http://www.sc.edu/fitzgerald/bernice/ Original illustra-
tion to FITZGERALD, F. S.:'Bernice Bobs Her Hair', Sat-
urday Evening Post 1 May 1920
[15] In 1921 New York Times reported women hairdressers in
Connecticut wishing to bob hair would have to obtain a
barbers licence: New York Times, August 23, 1921
[16] Bobbed hair has been immensely popular during the last
few years; it is now rapidly falling out of favour because it
has become common.The Times, Thursday, May 04,
1922; pg. 11; Issue 43622; col E : The Womans View.
Fashions In Hairdressing.
[17] In 1928 when an unsuccessful Communist coup in Canton
was put down, women with short hair were targeted for
reprisals: 'Many women with bobbed hair were shot. The
young Communists all bob their hair; and in many cases
that was accepted as prima-facie evidence of guilt.' The
Times. 18 January 1928. p. 13.
[18] A critic reviewing a collection of society portraits for
The Times notes: Hairdressing is in a state of transition.
There is an Eton crop, there are many soft shingles, and
there are a fewheads where the hair is being let grow. The
Times, Wednesday, May 14, 1930; pg. 19; Issue 45512;
col F
[19] New York Times Magazine, 6 September 1964Anthony
Carthew: Shaggy Englishman Story; British long-hairs
are proud of setting a new tonsorial style -- but the bar-
bers are crying.
[20] Kristina Lenko: Posh copied my hairstyle. London:
Daily Mirror. 2008-01-26. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
5 External links
History: 25 Hairstyles of the Last 100 Years - 25:
Bob/Finger Wave, 1920s. Retrieved 2011, August
23 at Listverse.com.
4 6 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
6 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses
6.1 Text
Bob cut Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_cut?oldid=612194651 Contributors: Mkmcconn, Frecklefoot, Infrogmation, Shoaler,
Dori, Ahoerstemeier, Angela, Kingturtle, Furrykef, Jamesday, Dimadick, Psychonaut, Litefantastic, Rasmus Faber, Ruakh, Lupo, David
Gerard, DocWatson42, Brian Kendig, Bnn, Varlaam, FriedMilk, Golbez, Quadell, Joyous!, Grunt, Larrybob, SkArcher, Discospinster,
Rich Farmbrough, Cacycle, MBisanz, TMC1982, Longhair, Remuel, MPerel, Jacobbarssbailey, Dorstra, Ashley Pomeroy, Danaman5,
Sphivo, RainbowOfLight, Woohookitty, Wcd, Daniel Case, Robert K S, Hailey C. Shannon, Prashanthns, Rjwilmsi, MarnetteD, Austrian,
Gurch, Common Man, VolatileChemical, Sceptre, Peter G Werner, Hydrargyrum, Calicore, CambridgeBayWeather, Alohawolf, Nawl-
inWiki, Ezeu, Lockesdonkey, Smkolins, Spliy, Roke, SmackBot, Verne Equinox, Delldot, Canthusus, Kintetsubualo, Kslays, Ohnoit-
sjamie, Skizzik, Cattus, Fuzzform, Scwlong, Frap, JonHarder, Pilotguy, Nathanael Bar-Aur L., Hestemand, IronGargoyle, TastyPoutine,
Nehrams2020, Clarityend, RLamb, Adcro, FairuseBot, Tawkerbot2, Ouishoebean, Doctormatt, Ndean, Trident13, JamesAM, Epbr123,
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Cheese484, Pinethicket, Pburghstudent, Incubusman, Reaper Eternal, Boblover64, MadamLouvre, UnreifeKirsche, Amh433, GoingBatty,
Chu-Totoro, ZroBot, Josve05a, AvicAWB, 1234r00t, Philafrenzy, Sentorian, Mrcoolbobs, Nea999, ClueBot NG, Gareth Grith-Jones,
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6.2 Images
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