The shortest hair in the 40s and 50s?

[SheBear74]

What is the shortest hair you would see in the 40s or 50s? What is the shortest some of you ladies have had or have?

 

[SayCici]

I think it would be difficult to say "this is the shortest hair you would ever see in this time period" because it seems like once hair was bobbed, the "rules" changed.

Leslie Caron in the 50s:

Audrey Hepburn:

I've had my hair a little shorter than Leslie Caron's above.

 

[dhermann1]

When you talk about 40's - 50's styles, keep in mind the great shift that took place around 1947 called the "New Look". It was a VERY drastic change. It was a change in womens clothing styles (paralled by the Bold Look in mens styles.) But the hair styles changed as well. And that famous red lipstick appeared. That Leslie Caron hair do would never have been seen pre 1947.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

20s 30s (and even on some gals in the 40s) The Eton Crop.

http://www.photodetective.co.uk/20s-Eton.html

My ancient gym teacher at school had one in the 80s!lol

 

[SugarKitten]

Can't forget my favorite short cut (and the only one left on my to-do list. If only I get so bold!)

Jean Seberg is pretty much late 50s into 60s, but I think she rocks the short hair. I've had it maybe an inch longer than that, in a much more Audrey Hepurn cut.

 

[deadpandiva]

During WWII shorter hair became more popular from women in the service and working in factories. My hair tends to get damaged easly so I have had to have it quite short at times but personally woudn't go as short as any of the styles pictured above unless I was under 30 and thinner than I am now.

 

[crwritt]

20s 30s (and even on some gals in the 40s) The Eton Crop.

http://www.photodetective.co.uk/20s-Eton.html

My ancient gym teacher at school had one in the 80s!lol

Well, I wasn't so thrilled with the Eton Crop, but I spent an hour at least looking at the Photo Detective site. enthralling.

 

[SheBear74]

Those are some great pictures, I have to agree the Eton Crop is, um well I don't want to be tacky so I will say, not my favorite lol Personally I love short hair. I run in cycles where I grow my hair out for a couple years then want a change and cut it all off again lol

 

[Amy Jeanne]

The Leslie Caron 'do is a good example of short-short 1950s hair. Also Jean Seberg!!

The shortest I ever had my hair was a chelsea. Then I had a pixie in the late 90s (Winona Ryder was my hair idol at that time). I would never ever cut my hair short again, though.

 

[zendy]

I used to have a chelsea too, after I cut my mohawk off. NEVER AGAIN! My head looked way to small for my body lol

 

[SheBear74]

Had to look up the Chelsea, that looks like pretty low maintenance

 

[Miss Tuppence]

A variation of the Eton crop seen in wartime Britain (yes pre 1947!) can be seen here…..http://food.iwm.org.uk/?cat=14&paged=2 Video:Rationing in Britain -the lovely lady appears about 5.10 mins into the video- (The video was produced for an American audience to show how our rationing system worked- quite interesting me thinks!)Theses sorts of hair styles were mostly seen in the 20’s/30’s but obviously were still worn during the war years.

tups x

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

Photo detective is a brilliant site! Can spend ages on there...

 

[SheBear74]

A variation of the Eton crop seen in wartime Britain (yes pre 1947!) can be seen here…..http://food.iwm.org.uk/?cat=14&paged=2 Video:Rationing in Britain -the lovely lady appears about 5.10 mins into the video- (The video was produced for an American audience to show how our rationing system worked- quite interesting me thinks!)Theses sorts of hair styles were mostly seen in the 20’s/30’s but obviously were still worn during the war years.

tups x

Thanks! That was pretty cool to watch.

 

[Inky]

http://www.photodetective.co.uk/20s-Eton.html

What a fabulous site Kitty - thank you so much for posting this!!

 

[40'sfetish]

I must have had every length from Sinead O'Connor to midway down my back, but I do keep coming back to the shorter styles, my favourite at the moment being a short bob. I do want to grow it out a bit though to get a better handle on pincurls!

 

[bellaclaire]

I must have had every length from Sinead O'Connor to midway down my back, but I do keep coming back to the shorter styles, my favourite at the moment being a short bob. I do want to grow it out a bit though to get a better handle on pincurls!

d with m

same as me!! includin a "G.I jane" by "accident" while servin in the Army"(luckily was on toour so had grown a bit before my leave!!lol) i seem to do more with hair when its shorter!! needs a trim at mo, but its about "middy" length and hold pin curls well.x

 

[DigThatBeat]

Remember when Lucy tried on "the Italian look"?

 

[C-dot]

Remember when Lucy tried on "the Italian look"?

I love that episode - "Yeah, stay married to him! That'll teach him!" lol

Liz Taylor's hair was similar in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, maybe just a bit longer:

I've contemplated it a few times, but my face is too fat.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Ultra-short hair in the '40s was something women avoided for more than aesthetic reasons -- in Europe it was considered the mark of a collaborator, with shaven heads forced on women who slept with Nazi occupation forces. The memory of those images in newsreels likely caused the women of the era to avoid really short cuts until well into the '50s, and may also explain why many women of the Era reacted rather viscerally when their granddaughters showed up with their punk-rock crops.

"Short hair" during the war years generally meant above the collar -- WAC grooming standards specified this length, but it was to be worn in a "feminine manner" -- no butch cuts allowed. This was pretty much the homefront standard as well, especially for women who worked in factories, where long hair was seen as dangerous around machinery.

Good example of a regulation WAC hairstyle, very common also among civilian women of the time.