- It's been a part of our lives for over 100 years.
Some say even longer.
For the past century, we've copied the hairstyles
of our favorite icons, celebrities, and athletes,
and wonder why it always looks better on them.
[snipping]
But we keep trying.
Here are some of the most popular hairstyles
of the last 100 years.
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It was the Roaring Twenties.
Prohibition was in effect, flappers were flapping,
and the bob was the bee's knees, baby!
The bob was made popular
in a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald,
about a woman who cuts her hair and turns into
an avenging vamp--
sounds like a superhero movie--
inspiring women all over the country to chop off
their hair as a sign of rebellion against
traditional notions of femininity.
The trend completely changed the hair industry.
Now, that's a lot of clams.
For the fellas, it was all about that slicked back look.
Parted down the middle, to the side,
or send it straight back-- it didn't matter.
But before wax pomades were invented to flatten curls
and keep everything in place, there was Brilliantine,
an oil-based product that left a messy residue
on anything it touched. Slick, indeed.
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The Marcel wave was named after Francois Marcel,
whose styling process required
the use of extremely hot tongs,
invented by Francois,
that could only be used by trained operators.
Sounds dangerous.
But anything to achieve that classic look
of having your hair look like a piece of paper
that got wet then dried out in the sun.
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Just win, baby!
That's what the ladies sporting victory rolls
were saying to their men who were fighting overseas
in World War II.
Rosie the Riveter and the other 5 million women
entering the workforce
needed their hair curled up, and out of their faces
while they worked in factories building tanks, battleships,
and a new definition of femininity.
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Inspired by the stars of 1950s Italian movies,
hairdressers spent hours coming up with the name
for this popular hairstyle...
The short, shaggy, tousled curls were considered
a sassy style among Hollywood women,
like Joan Collins and Sophia Loren.
And Rizzo, in "Grease," made it iconic.
Or, as they say in Italy, iconic!
Grab your comb and throw on your leather jacket--
it's the Greaser.
In the '50s, rock and roll was just becoming popular,
and Greasers were rebelling against
the uptight, buttoned-down adults of the era.
Stars like Elvis Presly, James Dean, Little Richard,
and Marlon Brando stamped this rebellious style
as bad boy iconic.
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The 1960s were the decade of peace, love, and activism.
And the hair was far out.
Throughout the Civil Rights movement,
Black men and women-- especially members
of the Black power political organization,
the Black Panther Party, wanted afros to show
the world that Black was beautiful,
while rejecting European beauty standards.
From activists,
like Angela Davis and Jesse Jackson,
to icons of music, like Diana Ross
and Jimi Hendrix,
the afro was a symbol of Black liberation.
At the same time, hippies used flower power and free love
to grow long, messy hair.
Shampoo and conditioner were about as common
as cellphones during this time,
so scalps were a little grody.
Both styles were accessorized
with headbands, feathers, flowers, and--uh, grass.
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[British accent] "'ello Angels,"
Said Farrah Fawcett's hairdresser
to her hair follicles after they made him rich.
In one season on "Charlie's Angels",
and with that one iconic poster,
Farrah Fawcett's wing-like bangs and red bathing suit
defined a decade of hair styling for women.
If you wanted the "moves like Jagger"
in the '70s, you were asking your barber for the Shag,
a symbol of counterculture that was also rocked
by Joan Jett, David Bowie, and Rod Stewart.
If you saw "Austin Powers", you'll understand what
people were aiming for after getting this cut.
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The '80s were all about big.
And the perm was totally big!
It also looks like an afro
got electrocuted while taking a bath.
Wicked!
Both men and women permed their hair and teased it
to achieve as much volume as possible.
Did Cher, Barbra Streisand, Bon Jovi, Madonna,
Dolly Parton, and your mom really leave their homes
thinking this look was acceptable?
No doi!
Business up front, party in the back:
a metaphor for the '80s, and the description
for one of the gnarliest hairstyles on this list...
The mullet was adopted by athletes, heavy metal heads,
and punks--
anyone who wanted you to immediately know
by looking at them, "I work hard, I play hard,
"I might not have thought about how these photos
"are going to exist in 30 years
and I may regret this decision."
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Making its debut on the show "Friends" in 1995,
the iconic Rachel, sported by the one and only
Jennifer Aniston, was one of the most
coveted 'dos of the time.
It was the hair of the decade on the show of the decade.
Sorry, "Seinfeld".
DJ, queue "Dream Weaver".
We're talking about curtained hair,
the dreamiest hairstyle of all time,
worn with pride by flameout nobodies
like Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, and Jared Leto.
For years those silky, floppy locks, parted down the middle,
were tapped up in every 7th grader's locker.
Jeez, David Beckham,
Nick Carter, James Van Der Beek--
[sighs]
if you had curly hair, you might've missed this trend
and missed out on that first kiss.
Thanks a lot, Jonathan Taylor Thomas.
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In the era of low-rise jeans,
spaghetti straps, and velour sweatsuits,
there was only one hairstyle that mattered...
From Christina Aguilera to Kelly Rowland,
all the hit-clip queens featured colorful
pops of pinks, reds, and greens in their hair.
Business everywhere. But party?
Also everywhere.
[muffled cheering]
Frosted tips--they're...tough.
A staple in every boyband of the early 2000s,
frosted tips involved bleaching just the ends
of one's hair,
then using super strong gel to spike it up.
Did stiff hair make them dance better?
Let's pump up the jams
in front of Guy Fieri and find out.
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The ombre inspired the memorable Beyoncé lyric,
"I woke up like this."
I spent $200 at the salon to look like
I woke up like this.
Ombre subtly blends one color to another.
And it was everywhere in 2013.
Even today, a well done ombre paired with long,
perfectly messy waves are a go-to glam style,
From Beyoncé to Chrissy T,
To Margot Robbie to Miley C.
Damn, that rhyme was as smooth as some freshly ombred locks.
Man buns were emerging from head ovens
everywhere last decade,
baked by celebs like Chris Hemsworth,
Leo DiCaprio, Jason Momoa, your barista,
and every guy you see writing in a teeny-tiny notebook.
Similar to curtained hair in the 90s,
the man bun exuded sex and sensitivity.
But beware, if you are approached
by a man-bunned gentleman,
there is an 81% chance he'll ask you
to read a poem he just wrote.
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The lob, short for "long bob,"
is versatile, easy to maintain,
and pretty universally flattering.
You can make basically any alteration you want,
and it'll look good.
It's pretty much the bacon of hairstyles.
Hailey Bieber, Dua Lipa, Selena Gomez,
and Reese Witherspoon all agree
that bacon is great with pretty much anything,
even sweets.
Fruit is the trickiest, but if you just--
what are we talking about?
Oh, right--the lob.
Also great for brunch!
Last, and the least amount of hair, is the fade.
This hairstyle has existed for decades,
but its popularity continues due to its versatility
and flexibility to adapt to trends.
Whether you're Zayn Malik looking smolderingly handsome
or Idris Elba looking impossibly handsome,
the fade just works.
So there you have it:
the most popular hairstyles of the past 100 years.
Some were timeless.
For some it was time to do way less.
For many, it was shocking they didn't
catch on fire more often.
Tune in next time to watch our suggestions for what
the next 100 years of hairdos should be.
We're thinking technology and small, live animals
will be involved.
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