1950s Beauty Trend and Hair Style

      Influences on Women’s 1950's                                Hairstyles

Movie Stars and Mass Media

Mass media was the main influence on fashion. Movies, magazines, advertisements and the new kid on the block – television – all played a part.

Popular film stars like Audrey Hepburn, Sophia Loren, Grace Kelly, Elizabeth Taylor and Doris Day influenced the latest hairstyles. Others like Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield had their influential trademark looks.

Italian Passion

There was a love for Italian fashions, attitude and lifestyle during the ’50's, particularly in the USA.Italian films like La Strada (1954) sparked the storia d’amore, along with Hollywood films with an Italian connection like Three Coins in the Fountain (1954),The Rose Tattoo (1955) and Summertime (1955),

Dorothy Dandridge with the popular Italian cut hairstyle, as seen first on Italian actresses.

Television

While movies and the people in them were still very influential on style, television was the ‘next big thing’ and more people were now devoting their free time to staying in and watching the box. This had a huge influence on how people saw themselves and the world around them.

Hairdressers

Hairdressers were making their mark, creating styles for their clients and helping to popularise fashion styles. The prominent hairdresser for the Hollywood movie industry was Sydney Guilaroff – the first hairdresser to get a screen credit for their work.

Since the 1930's, Guilaroff had done the hair on many films. His status was such that iconic 1950's actress Grace Kelly chose him to style her hair for her 1956 wedding to Prince Rainier of Monaco.

Popular Music and Teens

Popular music influenced teenagers in particular, especially when rock and roll rocketed into the charts in the mid-’50's. Rock and roll was the music upstart of the decade and defines the 1950's teenager. More than just a music style, it influenced attitudes, fashion, hair and lifestyle. It divided the younger and older generations and brought black and white audiences together.

Teenagers became a recognised demographic in the 1950's. Having less pressure to grow up as quickly as their parents, they could dedicate more time to leisure and had money to spend – the hair companies noticed, making products geared towards the teen market.

Popular Hairstyles

New products and techniques influenced how hair was styled, and the more ‘natural’ look was favoured, even if it was achieved by products and perms. Hair varied in length from short to long, with shorter styles most commonly seen. If someone had a fringe, it was worn quite short, generally no longer than the middle of the forehead.

The Italian Cut

The popular Italian cut hairstyle emerged in the early 1950's, predominantly from the stars of Italian movies. Italian screen sirens Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren had the short and shaggy, yet sculptured hairstyle, featuring all over waves, soft curls and fluffy kiss curls. Elizabeth Taylor also adopted the Italian cut at one point.

Gina Lollobrigida and Elizabeth Taylor wearing the carefree yet Italian cut.

Curled and Waved Short Hair

Shorter hairstyles were popular with the young and old alike and hair could be worn in a variety of ways, but it would always feature soft waves and/or curls.

Many shorter styles tended to be quite straight and flat on the crown area, with the curls and waves concentrated around the mid-length to the ends of the hair. Curls would continue all around the hair, including the nape.

Other shorter styles include the bubble cut, where the hair was teased into tight curls all over, and the poodle cut.

These shorter styles were worn throughout the decade, and the hair was kept ‘close to the head’ and compact in size. However, by the end of the decade, hair was being worn with more lift and volume – hair was getting ready for the birth of the modern bouffant and beehive.

Top L to R; Two women from the 50's and more styled do from a hairdressing magazines. The bottom L to R: Back view showing a pin curled set brushed out: two everyday women.

Longer Hair and Ponytails

While shorter hair is most commonly seen in the 50's, some women had long hair, in particular teenagers, students and ‘Beat Girls’ like Bettie Page.

Hair could be worn down, or tied back into a ponytail. If someone had a fringe, it would be a short fringe, as was fashionable then. Audrey Hepburn (pictured) wore her long hair in a pony with a short fringe in Funny Face (1957), possibly inspiring the popularity of this look. 

The high ponytail was a popular look for western teenagers, so much so that this popular hairstyle was seen on the early version of Barbie. The ponytail would often be tied with a scarf.

Pageboy or Brushed-under Bob

This popular hairstyle could vary in length from quite a short bob to shoulder length.Either way, the hair was worn quite sleek and smooth, possibly with a slight wave at the front, or maybe the sides – that all depended on the wearer’s choice.The ends of the hair were always turned under in a soft roll. Grace Kelly often wore her jaw-length hair in a sleek pageboy. Marilyn Monroe sometimes styled her hair this way too. 

The Gamine Look

A really short, elfin hairstyle that emerged in the early 1950's, worn most noticeably by Audrey Hepburn (pictured).Audrey had her long hair cut during a scene in Roman Holiday (1953), as a mark of her character’s independence. This inspired women to go for a short haircut.

Also known as a pixie cut, it is a very short, layered, and almost masculine cut with a high-cut shaggy fringe.There were other short cuts too, like the butch cut

Bouffant

The modern bouffant started in the mid-’50's, getting larger and more popular by the end of the decade before becoming a mane event in the 1960's. The late 50's also saw hair piled on top of the head – a forerunner of the beehive.

The main element of a bouffant hairstyle was volume and height. Hairspray was needed to keep this look set rock solid – women might not touch their do until it needed washing out completely. Large wire-mesh rollers were now on the market, used to help create the lift needed. Bouffants didn’t go well with hats, but hair could be decorated with jewels, feathers or out-sized bows.

References:

H&MUA Team. (July 2013). Women’s 1950's Hairstyles: An Overview.Available: http://hair-and-makeup-artist.com/womens-1950s-hairstyles/. Last accessed November 2015.

Corson, R. 2000.  Fashions in Hair: The First Five Thousand Years. Peter Owen. 720pp.

Sherrow V. 2001. For Appearances’ Sake: The Historical Encyclopedia of Good Looks, Beauty and Grooming.Greenwood. 288pp