Before the bob hair cut became popular in the 1920’s, women were confined to having long hairstyles that were swept up with combs or often worn with hairnets to keep their curls. The 1920’s changed all this when the constraints of the Victorian styles were abandoned.
In Victorian times no proper women would cut her hair short. Victorian women spent hours curling and up sweeping their long locks. They used braids, hairnets, and combs to tame and live with their long tresses.
The ever poplar bob hair cut made its appearance in main street America in the 1920’s. While the bob rises and falls in popularity in American hair fashion it has remained a standard cut for American women with only a few variations. Women in the 1920’s were getting the vote and entering the work force for larger periods of time. The sassy short cut seemed to be a way of women declaring they had a new attitude that they have not really backtracked on till date.
The first bob hair cuts were worn straight or slightly curled with a Marcel iron. Women in Europe who worked in factories during world war one had a practical reason to cut their hair short as it would not get caught in automated machinery. Other women were just inspired to cut their hair by cultural icons such as Irene Castle who cut her hair short in 1917 to show support for the war effort.
Throughout the decades there have been many different styles of the bob that women have sported. The success of the bob for the individual girl may be more dependent on face shape than what the hottest bob of the moment. . A bob cut can be cut evenly or angle cut. Some people can actually be cute and sexy with waves added. Today’s really short cut is a precision cut, but a bob is considered any that is below ear level and stops somewhere short of the shoulders.
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A variety of magazines can help you find the bob that is perfect for your face shape. One web site that you can find almost every bob imaginable www.bobhaircuts.com/worship_bobs.html. You can view vintage bobs and punk bobs and almost anything in between.
Girls with curly locks in general do better with longer bobs. This is because when the weight is removed from curly hair when it is cut the curl tends to become tighter making the hair appear possibly short than you would want it. Asymmetrical Bobs are cut the hair longer or short on one side. A variation of this look can be achieved by cutting the back of the hair short than the front or leaving the bangs heavier on one side. Highlights play a special role on bobs when they are used to enhance the texture of the cut.
My personal perference this summer is a short vintage bob with waves. Perms and gels make this vintage style very easy to maintain. You can simply scrunch your waves and let it dry in the sun. If you want a softer look you simple comb out the dried curls and apply a finishing spray. You no longer need pin curls to achieve this sassy vintage look. A good guid to vintage hair dos is www.costumegallery.com/hairstyles.htm . You can find period styling guides at this site if you want to educate your hair dresser on a more complicated vintage style.
Bobs, on the whole complement women, both young and old. They are the perfect style for busy students and young mothers or any women pressed for time. They are a real blessing for those of us that hair thin baby fine hair or have over processed our hair and need to grow out healthy hair. If you have really long locks you need to think long and hard before getting a radical short cut as hair does not grow back as fast as the short hair season of summer changes.
www.bobhaircuts.com/worship_bobs.html : Dedicated to the love of the bob haircut.
www.costumegallery.com/hairstyles.htm : A guide to vintage hair and fashion.
http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5117 /: A memoir history of women who bobbed their hair.
http://www.hairarchives.com/private/1920s.htm : A history of the original bob.
