Curtained hair

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Curtained hair or curtains is a hairstyle featuring a long fringe divided in either a middle parting or a side parting, with short (or shaved) sides and back. Curtained hair generally applies to males, although an alternative name, the undercut, is used for both male and female haircuts following this style. [1] Variations on this haircut have been popular in Europe, North America, and Japan throughout the 20th century and in the 21st century, peaking between 1986 and 2001.

Contents

Origins

Statue of a man with typical Yue-style short hair Yue statue.jpg
Statue of a man with typical Yue-style short hair

The Baiyue/Hundred Viets (1st millennium BC) appeared to keep their hair short and curtained in this style, unlike many other primitive peoples who had longer hair.

A shorter version of the curtain haircut, parted in the middle and kept in place with pomade, became popular during the Edwardian era as a more practical alternative to the longer hair and sideburns fashionable c.the late 19th century. This was due in part to the popularity of sporting activities like rugby football among younger men.[ citation needed ] The slicked-back style remained popular into the 20th century, [2] appearing on notable individuals such as Chinese politician Mao Zedong (c. 1910–1930 ) and American real-estate developer Fred Trump (c. 19401950 ).

English Art Nouveau artist Aubrey Beardsley with the centrally parted hair fashionable at the end of the 1890s Blanche Beardsley.jpg
English Art Nouveau artist Aubrey Beardsley with the centrally parted hair fashionable at the end of the 1890s
Film actor Jonathan Brandis exhibiting curtained hair in 1993 Jonathan Brandis Wiki.jpg
Film actor Jonathan Brandis exhibiting curtained hair in 1993

From the turn of the century until the 1920s, a longer variant of the undercut was popular among young working-class men, especially members of street gangs. In interwar Glasgow, Neds (the precursors to the Teddy Boys) favoured a haircut that was long on top and cropped at the back and sides. Despite the fire risk, much paraffin wax was used to keep the hair in place. [3] Other gangs who favored this haircut were the Scuttlers of Manchester and the Peaky Blinders of Birmingham, due largely to the disadvantage caused by longer hair in a street fight. [4]

Revival

During the late 1980s, centrally parted hair, derived from the bowl cut, made a comeback among fans of new wave, synthpop, and electronic music as an alternative to the mullets and backcombed hair worn by glam metal bands. [5]

In the UK, curtains were popularised during the early 1990s by the baggy/Madchester scene as well as contemporary Shoegaze and Britpop bands such as The Happy Mondays, Inspiral Carpets, early Blur, The Beautiful South, and the Stone Roses. [6] It was also popular in the UK because of David Beckham's hair in the late 1990s.

A longer, collar-length version of the haircut went mainstream in the early-to-mid 1990s and was worn by many celebrities, most notably Tom Cruise. [7] [8]

During the early 2020s the haircut had a resurgence in popularity, driven largely by K-pop and the social media platform TikTok. As a result, the haircut has become favored among youth, and is considered an attractive hairstyle for males. This came with a general revival of 90s fashion by TikTok users. [9]

Actors who have worn the longer version of curtained hair include Tom Cruise in Mission: Impossible 2 , [10] [11] Brendan Fraser in The Mummy Returns , [12] Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic , River Phoenix in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade , Kim Milford in Laserblast , James McAvoy in X-Men: Apocalypse , Jonathan Taylor Thomas in Home Improvement , David Duchovny in earlier seasons of The X-Files and Steve Buscemi in The Big Lebowski.

Many manga and anime characters, such as Dragon Ball protagonist Trunks, Takumi Fujiwara from Initial D , James from Pokémon 's Team Rocket, [13] Fullmetal Alchemist's Edward Elric, Levi Ackerman from Attack on Titan, Vinsmoke Sanji from One Piece, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure's Jonathan Joestar, and Naruto's Sasuke and his older brother, Itachi Uchiha have this haircut. [14] Japanese video game characters with this haircut include James Sunderland from Silent Hill 2 , Squall Leonhart from Final Fantasy VIII , Sothe from Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn , Raziel from Legacy of Kain , Leon S. Kennedy from Resident Evil 4 , Kyo Kusanagi and Kim Kaphwan from The King of Fighters series, and Link from The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time .

Most male K-Pop stars utilize this haircut, such as members of BTS, Monsta X, NCT, EXO.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairstyle</span> Style of hair, usually on the human scalp

A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mullet (haircut)</span> Hairstyle

The mullet is a hairstyle in which the hair is cut shorter at the front, top and sides, but is longer at the back.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quiff</span> Hairstyle

The quiff is a hairstyle that combines the 1950s pompadour hairstyle, the 1950s flattop, and sometimes a mohawk. It was born as a post-war reaction to the short and strict haircuts for men. The hairstyle was a staple in the British Teddy Boy movement, but became popular again in Europe in the early 1980s and experienced a resurgence in popularity during the 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High and tight</span> Hairstyle

The high and tight is a military variant of the crew cut. It is a very short hairstyle, characterized by the back and sides of the head being shaved to the skin and the option for the top to be blended or faded into slightly longer hair. It is most commonly worn by men in the U.S. armed forces. It is also popular with law enforcement officers and other public safety personnel. Although "high and tight" is the primary term used in military and law enforcement, the same haircut is sometimes referred to by civilians as a "walker".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ducktail</span> Hairstyle

The ducktail is a men's haircut style popular during the 1950s. It is also called the duck's tail, duck's ass, duck's arse, or simply D.A. and is also described as slicked back hair. The hair is pomaded (greased), combed back around the sides, and parted centrally down the back of the head.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomade</span> Hairstyling product

Pomade is a greasy, waxy, or water-based substance that is used to style hair. It generally gives the user's hair a shiny, slick appearance. It lasts longer than most hair-care products, and often requires multiple washes for complete removal. The pomades of the 18th and 19th centuries consisted mainly of bear fat or lard. Lanolin, beeswax and petroleum jelly have been used extensively in modern pomades. The hold of pomades makes sculptured hairstyles such as the pompadour waves (hairstyle) possible.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion of the 1990s

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lock of hair</span> Tress, curl, or ringlet of hair

A lock of hair is a piece or pieces of human hair that are usually bunched or tied together in some way. A lock of hair can be on a person's head, or have been cut from the head. When attached to the head, a lock of hair generally refers to a tress, curl, or ringlet of hair. When cut from the head, a lock of hair may be kept for its symbolic value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eponymous hairstyle</span> Hairstyle associated with a particular individual

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wings (haircut)</span> Haircut Style

The wings haircut, also known the Mod haircut, Mop top, flippies, flow, Justin Bieber haircut, or skater hair is a popular hairstyle used in the skateboarding, surfer, mod, and preppy community. Typically long, the style can range from long and drooping below the eyes, to a shorter length. The haircut is typically wavy and, if straight, the length comes to halfway down the ears. Instead of lying on the wearer's ears, the hair flips up and comes straight out like an airplane wing, hence the name. The hairstyle was popular among men in the 1960s, 1970s, mid-late 2000s, early 2010s and 2020s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangs (hair)</span> Fringe of hair covering the human forehead

A fringe or bangs is strands or locks of hair that fall over the scalp's front hairline to cover the forehead, usually just above the eyebrows, though can range to various lengths. While most people cut their fringe straight, they may also shape it in an arc or leave them ragged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pompadour (hairstyle)</span> Hairstyle

The pompadour is a hairstyle named after Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), a mistress of King Louis XV of France. Although there are numerous variations of the style for men, women, and children, the basic concept is having a large volume of hair swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead, and sometimes upswept around the sides and back as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short hair</span> Style of human haircutting

Short hair refers to any haircut with little length. It may vary from above the ears to below the chin. If a man's hair reaches the chin, it may not be considered short. For a woman, however, short varies from close-cropped to just above the shoulders. This varies from culture to culture, in more traditional societies in Eastern Europe, Asia, and the Islamic world, short hair on women means anything shorter than chest length with chest length to elbow length being considered medium-length. However, among more progressive societies with far less structured gender norms, the classic bob is considered medium-length with "short hair" referring to pixie cuts and similar hairstyles. Different styles of short hair include the bob cut, the crop and the pixie cut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waves (hairstyle)</span> Hairstyle

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The undercut is a hairstyle that was fashionable from the 1910s to the 1940s, predominantly among men, and saw a steadily growing revival in the 1980s before becoming fully fashionable again in the 2010s. Typically, the hair on the top of the head is long and is often parted on either the side or center, while the back and sides are buzzed very short. It is closely related to the curtained hair of the mid-to-late 1990s, although those with undercuts during the 2010s tended to slick back the bangs away from the face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairstyles in the 1950s</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020s in fashion</span> Fashion-related events during the 2020s

The fashions of the 2020s represent a departure from 2010s fashion and feature a nostalgia for older aesthetics. They have been largely inspired by styles of the early-to-mid-2000s, late 1990s, 1980s, 1970s, and 1960s. Early in the decade, several publications noted the shortened trend and nostalgia cycle in 2020s fashion. Fashion was also shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, which had a major impact on the fashion industry, and led to shifting retail and consumer trends.

The butterfly haircut is a hairstyle featuring numerous layers to create volume throughout the hair. It blends shorter and longer layers throughout the hair, as well as face-framing layers. Accoring to L'Oreal Paris, the butterfly haircut "is going to be a flattering style for most", though it works best for individuals whose hair is at least shoulder length.

References

  1. Douglas, Joanna (17 November 2011). "'Hitler Youth' Haircut Gaining Popularity". Yahoo! Shine. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  2. Jarocki, Pawel (6 February 2021). "The Illustrated History of Pomades". Topgun Men Care. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  3. Christie, Stuart (2002). My Granny Made Me an Anarchist. Oil & Gas USSR. pp. 87–88. ISBN   1-873976-14-3.
  4. Davies, A. (1998), "Youth gangs, masculinity and violence in late Victorian Manchester and Salford", Journal of Social History 32 (2)
  5. Williams, Alex (15 November 2011). "A Haircut Returns From the 1930s". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  6. Shivash, Shastri (8 November 2019). "Ideal mens [sic] hair styles, treatments and tips for hair maintenance". Meramaal Wiki. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  7. Tom Cruise in 1983
  8. Patches, Matt (15 June 2012). "Tom Cruise's Hair: The Defining Box Office Factor?".
  9. Singer, Jenny (29 October 2020). "TikTok Teens Have Spoken: The Side Part Is Dead". Glamour. Retrieved 9 February 2021.
  10. Tom Cruise hair
  11. Singer, Matt. "Every Tom Cruise Movie Ranked (By the Magnificence of His Hair)". ScreenCrush.
  12. "fashionsplanet.com". ww5.fashionsplanet.com. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014.
  13. ^ Kusaka, Hidenori, & Satoshi Yamamoto. Pokémon Adventures, Volume 14. Chuang Yi Publishing Pte Ltd., July 2004. ISBN   981-260-014-0
  14. ^ Director: Seiji Mizushima (October 4, 2003). "太陽に挑む者". Fullmetal Alchemist. Episode 1. Tokyo Broadcasting System.