From the bob to the butterfly cut — these are the most popular hair trends in modern history.
By Ella Sangster

Clara Bowe in the 1920s, Marilyn Monroe in 1958 and Solange Knowles for Harper’s BAZAAR in 2020 | JOHN KOBAL FOUNDATION / GETTY / NAIMA GREEN

HAIRSTYLES ARE the type of trend that can come to define an entire era.

Think the classic 2010’s side part, ‘The Rachel’ or quintessentially ’70s Afro: The hairstyles are as synonymous with the decades as Vignette Instagram filters, slip dresses and bellbottoms. While it is fun to dwell on which popular chop will come to characterise this generation, it may be years before we discover which style has been dubbed the overarching trend of the 2020s.

In the meantime, take a look back at the most popular hairstyles of decades past, from the 1920s-now, with The Hair Historian Rachael Gibson weighing in on how these hairstyles came to be — and what they can tell us about our decade’s defining trends.

1920s: The bob

 

Louise Brooks in the 1920s | CORBIS

Made famous by the likes of Louise Brooks and Colleen Moore (and revived in 2012 thanks to Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby) the razor-sharp bob is an instantly recognisable hallmark of the 1920s flapper fashion.

While the bob is a common cut for women in contemporary society, at the time, the cropped style was a sign of women’s emancipation. “Short hair for women was hitherto unheard of and therefore pretty scandalous, and represented both freedom and shifting beauty standards,” explains Gibson.

1930s: Glamorous waves

 

Jean Harlow in 1931 | GETTY IMAGES

Through the 1930s, hair remained on the shorter side, but with a softer touch. Sculpted, shapely waves were popular through the onset of Hollywood’s golden era, a hyper-feminine adaptation of the sleek styles of the previous decade.

The glamorous style was often paired with a platinum shade, which Gibson asserts was “achieved through potentially hazardous household bleaches” and emulated the looks of movie stars such as Jean Harlow.

1940s: Pin-up up dos

 

Rita Hayworth in a still for Tonight and Every Night (1945) | COLUMBIA PICTURES

World War II was a defining event of the 1940s, so it is only natural that practical, wartime hairstyles were a hallmark of the era.

Practical up dos such as the Victory Roll were popular, which Gibson explains, “provided a practical solution to increasingly hands-on work for women while also allowing for some much-needed glamour and elegance.”

1950s: Elegant curls

 

Marilyn Monroe in 1954 | MILTON H. GREENE / ARCHIVE IMAGES

the 1950s are well-regarded as one of Hollywood’s most glamorous eras. Accordingly, it’s unsurprising that the era’s defining hair trend was just elegant. Women of the time period opted for a classic, shorter curl set worn swept away from the face à la Marilyn Monroe.

The women who donned the famous style would often have their hair curls set weekly. But, time and effort that went into maintaining the perfect ‘do was well worth it for the enduring allure it delivered.

1960s: Diversification

 

A woman parties in the 1960s |HULTON ARCHIVE / GETTY IMAGES

Twiggy sports her signature crop | MIRRORPIX / GETTY IMAGES

The swinging sixties was a time of monumental and rapid change, particularly in the realms of fashion and beauty.

Accordingly, no singular trend stands out as the look of the decade, but rather a collection of styles made famous by a range of countercultural movements and mainstream celebrities.

“It’s an era that’s hard to generalise, as it really started the idea of fast-moving, diverse trends,” says Gibson. From Twiggy’s gamine cropped cut to Brigitte Bardot’s french-girl up do and the sweeping locks favoured by the hippies — the era was all about hair diversity.

1970s: The Afro

 

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