Straight from the Glengarry Pioneer Museum photograph collection, the
highlighted hairstyle chosen for this week is the 1920’s bob cut!
Traditionally, women’s hair was kept long and feminine - this stayed a
consistent trend until the rise of the first World War. Many women who began
working more dangerous jobs – such as in munitions factories - were forced to
keep their hair tied and often chose to cut their hair altogether. However, it
was considered very serious business for a woman to ‘chop’ her hair and many
faced social backlash from conservative families and husbands for the
nontraditional look. Magazines such as “Ladies Home Journal” printed articles exploring the consequences of 'bobbing' ones hair. (see below).
Canadian-born American actress Mary
Pickford, who did not bob her hair because of the pressure she felt from her
family and her fans, said, “I could give a lengthy and, I think, convincing
discourse about long hair making a woman more feminine, but there is some doubt
in my mind as to whether it does or not. Of one thing I am sure: she looks
smarter with a bob, and smartness rather than beauty seems to be the goal of
every woman these days.”
These styles were soon picked up by stars of silent films and performers
at the Opera causing the trend to reach women across the world – working or
not. As women did not (and often could not) attend a barber shop to get their
hair done many chose to perform these cuts at home – not always resulting in
the desired look. Soon, barbers changed their policies to accommodate the
demand for women’s hair cutting. Many women
bypassed their local male barber and travelled long distances to find a salon
for the perfect cut, paying $5 for the initial cut and then $2 for the weekly
upkeep.
