The Dreaded Hair Cut by Marisa Masterson

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Oh, the tragedy of it! My vanity rises to the forefront and wants to scream when I see it in the mirror--the terrible haircut! Yes, I made the mistake of allowing an untested hair stylist cut my hair. Not only cut it, but add layers and bangs. 

The experience started me thinking about cabinet cards I have seen. These stiff cardboard photos have stumped me in the past. Why, in a time when women wore long hair, did I see the images of women with harshly chopped or very short hair?

Was it a trend? Research immediately contradicted that possibility. Other than a movement in the Confederate South during that war, women did not purposefully cut their hair. So, why had these women shorn their locks?

Strangely, kerosene was one reason for women to chop off their hair. If a person's head became infested with lice, she would apply kerosene. A lot of it, too. That ruined the hair, and cutting it was required.

Desperation provided a second reason for short hair. In the nineteenth century and earlier, high fevers were difficult to treat. The common practice was to shave the sufferer's head, releasing the heat. 

A third and horrible reason for short hair had to do with institutionalizing a woman. It was common for women in mental institutions to have their hair cut very short. One more dehumanizing aspect connected with mental diseases.

The cause for the bob was not always horrendous. In the 1880s Chicago, some women deliberately cut their hair very short. Then they added a tightly curled front. In fact, President Grover Cleveland's sister was one pioneer of the look. This trend produced an outrage with people saying it would cause moral ruin.

By the end of the nineteenth century, more women cut their hair. They were the forerunners of the 1920s fad for shingled hair. These ladies needed to survive, to provide for themselves by working in factories. Shorter hair was convenient and cooler. 

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WHY SPORT THE BOB?

 Why don't the majority of women still wear their hair long? How come each of us isn't running around with a bun at the back of our head? Hmm...

I wondered about this. As an author who mostly writes historical novels, I wanted to know when it became popular for women to cut their hair short.

It seems to trace back to the bob. This hairstyle, inspired by Joan of Arc, gained popularity after World War I. The female population had the right to vote and were entering the workforce. I can imagine the freedom from not needing to carry around the heavy weight of long hair. (I decided to have my long, long hair cut short last year. It felt wonderful!)

Even more than freedom from the weight of the long hair or the care of it, young women bobbed their hair as a statement of equality. They were working along side of men and wanted to be seen as equal to them. The bob was one way to do that, making their hair similar in length to a man's. (Though not quite as short as a man's. That would need to wait for the 1960s.)

At the same time, women bound their breasts and dieted to gain a boyish figure. The flapper image is the perfect example of this. All to further two things--rebellion and equality for women.

Today, I wear my hair short and never consider that I want to be like a man. Amazing to think back and consider how my favorite hairstyle started...

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He wants her, needs her. But, will he ever find a way to express his emotions to her?

Michael Brewster needs a wife as he sets up a new business. That’s all! No complications or tender feelings will soften his hard heart or get in the way of his plans to build an empire.

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