| Hairstyles have continued to evolve over the last | | | | were just returning to their homes after the |
| century and every decade seems to have its own | | | | demands of wartime. Because of this reason, women |
| look. Just as the look now is straight and sleek, the | | | | now could spend more time on their make up and |
| look back in 1950s was more youthful. 1950's was a | | | | hairstyles. This led to an era of heavier makeup and |
| time of innovative and flamboyant hairstyles, some | | | | flamboyant hairstyle. |
| of which even today continue to inspire hair artists. It | | | | As we see eyebrows, mascara and eyeliner come to |
| was a time when there was peace and prosperity | | | | be applied more in the make up area, so also in the |
| across the globe. The war had just ended and unlike | | | | hair section, we see a lot of experimentation with |
| the utilitarian look that characterized the 1930s and | | | | hair. Straight hair was absolutely out and beauty |
| the 1940s, the look of this time was more glamorous. | | | | meant having curly or wavy hair. In fact, fifties was |
| Back in the 1940s, the predominant style was | | | | the time probability when the regular womanly visit |
| feminine and romantic. With soft curls falling onto the | | | | to the parlor for hair care and shampoo became |
| shoulders or long, wavy natural hair gently blowing in | | | | must. As hair setting achieved magnum proportion |
| the breeze, the 1940s hairstyle was an invocation of | | | | with hair being teased, sculpted, sprayed, |
| the eternal feminine form. This however was the | | | | permanently waved and forced into perfectly formed |
| look for the people in the higher rung of the society | | | | curls, more and more women started to spend a lot |
| or a look reserved for the evening parties. 1940s | | | | of money on hair care products that were essential |
| was a period when the world was going through a | | | | to maintain the "well groomed hair look". |
| major economic crisis. This economic scenario had | | | | For men the look was the greased back hairdo with |
| forced many a woman to come out and work. The | | | | heavy sideburns such as James Dean and Elvis had. |
| hairstyle of the time was thus practical and suited to | | | | Women on the other hand copied styles dictated by |
| workingwomen. At that time, women mostly worked | | | | Hollywood divas as Elizabeth Taylor and even the |
| in farms or factories and hair products as shampoo | | | | young Queen Elizabeth II. Other popular stars whose |
| were tough to acquire. In this scenario, the look was | | | | looks were copied by almost all women were Leslie |
| strictly utilitarian and women wore their hair usually in | | | | Caron, Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Brigitte Bardot |
| a neat roll around the nape and over the ears, often | | | | and Doris Day. |
| covered with a headscarf knotted. Styling lotions that | | | | Among the most popular hairstyles of the time was |
| held the hair in place was much in vogue. | | | | the poodle cut which seeked to frame the face in a |
| This all changed in the 1950s when the look became | | | | round fashion offering it an youthful demeanor. In |
| more glamorous. The essential aspiration was to look | | | | fact, by end 1950s, hairdressing was a big industry |
| like a domestic goddess, one who effortlessly did | | | | and there were about almost 30,000 new salons only |
| household work despite looking like a diva. In the | | | | in Britain. Elaborate hairstyles and hair rituals were the |
| early part of the fifties, the ponytail was the most | | | | order of the day. From gigantic back combed |
| popular hairstyle. The casual yet chic look offered by | | | | bouffants, beehives, and French pleats that were |
| the ponytail had many takers among women. In the | | | | twisted in a fashion so as to form the intricate coiled |
| early part of the fifties, the look for the evening | | | | hairstyles, the look late 1950s for sure was dressy. |
| party was a French pleat or chignon. However, in the | | | | Most of these styles are no longer in vogue now. |
| later part of the fifties we see the origin of more | | | | Nonetheless, they continue to remind you of an era |
| elaborate and complicated hairstyles. | | | | when there was prosperity in the world and people |
| Every woman during this time aspired to look stylish | | | | had enough time as well as money to think and |
| and well groomed. This was the time when women | | | | spend on their hair. |