The 1950s had a great influence on fashion and hairstyles. Very short cropped hairstyles for women took over the early ‘50s but by the middle of the decade, hats were worn less frequently so fuller hair styles became fashionable.

The days of back combed, teased and sprayed hair caused the demise of the hat.

Movie stars and top magazine fashion models played a role in the look women tried to achieve. One of the most popular for young women and girls was the ponytail. The hair was pulled up high in the back and often tied with a scarf. Even Barbie dolls sported a ponytail.

Mature women wore styles such as the beehive, bouffant, poodle and the pixie cut. The Italian haircut was originally called an “artichoke cut” or, sometimes, a “petal cut.” But, once Gina Lollobrigida and Sophia Loren started wearing it, it became increasingly known as an Italian Cut. At first, it was very short and gamine. It got longer and more… structured and dowdy as the ‘50s wore on. Women wear a version of that same style today, described as high on the top and short on the sides and back.

Along with the different haircuts came bangs. It was hair cut short across the forehead.

All of the changes in hairstyles created all sorts of new hair products. Gone were the bobbie pins of the ‘40s and in came the plastic curlers of the ‘50s. No more sleeping in pin curls and roller curlers were too hard to sleep on. It created a need for a hair dryer. Hair gels like Dippity-do helped to keep the hair curled. Big colorful hair nets or bonnets were used to hide the rollers.

But women weren’t the only ones with new hair styles. Popular music and film stars influenced the men of America. After the short hair cuts for the military in the ‘40s, men now had a chance to let their hair down and let it grow which included longer sideburns.

During the ‘40s men also wore hats with the most popular the homburg or the fedora. The fedora was creased down the center and pinched at the front. It was generally made of felt. The pork pie hat was flat with a large brim. The hat fit nicely over the hai style of the day. A regular haircut was side-parted and tapered at the sides and back. A crew cut, flattop and an Ivy League style was the preferred haircut of the day.

In the second half of the ‘50s the hat fell out of favor with the advent of more informal wear. The pompadour, and the duck tail, popular with music and film stars was copied and it prompted the need for a new hair dressing and along came Brylcreem’s “ a little dab will do ya.” A necessary accessory for men became the comb, carried mostly in the back pocket.

The ‘50s was a decade of experimentation with a new style and a new culture. Many of the influences of the ‘50s are with us today.

 

Jo-Ann Boepple works at the Edwardsburg Area History Museum.