Shape-up

Last updated
Basketball player Dwyane Wade with an edge-up hairstyle. D-Wade in Chicago.jpg
Basketball player Dwyane Wade with an edge-up hairstyle.

A shape-up, also called a line-up or an edge-up, is a hairstyle that involves cutting along the natural hairline to straighten it. Edge-ups are typically found among men and short-haired women. The haircut grew in popularity during the 1980s, typically among those who have Afro-textured hair, and became the precursor to other stylish haircuts, such as the high-top fade, low fade, and designs such as crescent moon parts, side parts, and waves in hair.

Contents

The shape-up is influenced by hip-hop and pop culture and is common among entertainers and basketball players. [1]

History

A man with a freshly cut shape-up and waves 360 wave process hair waves.jpg
A man with a freshly cut shape-up and waves
Matt Dumba with a buzz cut and line up LAM 8082 (16367796561).jpg
Matt Dumba with a buzz cut and line up

During the 1970s and the era of disco, most African-Americans sported an afro to reflect their cultural identity and their pride in their hair. In the 1980s, feeling that the afro looked dated, people began to cut their afros off in search of something new to go along with the new sounds of the decade. The shape-up was first introduced in the mid- or late 1980s. Influential hip-hop artists such as Eric B, Rakim, and Big Daddy Kane popularized the high-top fade with the shape-up. [2]

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">Buzz cut</span> Variety of short hairstyles

A buzz cut, or wiffle cut, is a variety of short hairstyles, especially where the length of hair is the same on all parts of the head. Rising to prominence initially with the advent of manual hair clippers, buzz cuts became increasingly popular in places where strict grooming conventions applied. In several nations, buzz cuts are often given to new recruits in the armed forces or newly incarcerated inmates. However, buzz cuts are also used for stylistic reasons.

<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">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">Afro</span> Hair style

The afro is a hair style created by combing out natural growth of afro-textured hair, or specifically styled with chemical curling products by individuals with naturally curly or straight hair. The hairstyle can be created by combing the hair away from the scalp, dispersing a distinctive curl pattern, and forming the hair into a rounded shape, much like a cloud or puff ball.

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

The pageboy or page boy is a hairstyle named after what was believed to be the haircut of a late medieval page boy. It has straight hair hanging to below the ear, where it usually turns under. There is often a fringe (bangs) in the front. This style was popular in the mid-to-late 1970s and 1980s.

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

A flattop is a classic hairstyle characterized by short hair on the sides and back of the head, with the top hair cut short and styled to stand upright in a flat, level plane.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hi-top fade</span> Hairstyle

Hi-top fade is a haircut where hair on the sides is cut off or kept very short while hair on the top of the head is grown long.

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

Fashion in the 1990s was defined by a return to minimalist fashion, in contrast to the more elaborate and flashy trends of the 1980s. One notable shift was the mainstream adoption of tattoos, body piercings aside from ear piercing and, to a much lesser extent, other forms of body modification such as branding.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980s in fashion</span> Costume and fashion in the 1980s

Fashion of the 1980s was characterized by a rejection of 1970s fashion. Punk fashion began as a reaction against both the hippie movement of the past decades and the materialist values of the current decade. The first half of the decade was relatively tame in comparison to the second half, which was when apparel became very bright and vivid in appearance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2000s in fashion</span> Fashion in the decade 2000–2009

The fashions of the 2000s were often described as a global mash up, where trends saw the fusion of vintage styles, global and ethnic clothing, as well as the fashions of numerous music-based subcultures. Hip-hop fashion generally was the most popular among young people of both sexes, followed by the retro-inspired indie look later in the decade.

<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">Kinky hair</span> Human hair texture indigenous to sub-Saharan Africa, Melanesia, and Australia

Kinky hair, also known as afro-textured hair, is a human hair texture prevalent in the indigenous populations of many regions with hot climates, mainly African and some areas of Melanesia, and Australia. Each strand of this hair type grows in a repeating pattern of small contiguous kinks which can be classified as tight twists and sharp folds. These numerous kinks make kinky hair appear denser than straight, wavy, and other curly hair types.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Temple fade (hairstyle)</span> Haircut

The temple fade, also known as a Brooklyn fade, taper fade, and blowout, is a haircut that first gained popularity in the late 90s and early 2000s in African American, Italian American, and Hispanic American barbershops as a variation of the bald fade, originating primarily in the Northeastern United States, particularly in New York City and especially Brooklyn.

<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">2010s in fashion</span> Fashion-related events during the 2010s

The 2010s were defined by hipster fashion, athleisure, a revival of austerity-era period pieces and alternative fashions, swag-inspired outfits, 1980s-style neon streetwear, and unisex 1990s-style elements influenced by grunge and skater fashions. The later years of the decade witnessed the growing importance in the western world of social media influencers paid to promote fast fashion brands on Pinterest and Instagram.

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 shorter or shaved. 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 and top gelled up the bangs away from the face.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hairstyles in the 1980s</span>

Hairstyles in the 1980s included the mullet, tall mohawk hairstyles, jheri curls, flattops, and hi-top fades, which became popular styles. Amongst women, large hair-dos, puffed-up styles, permanent waves, and softer cuts typified the decade. Big hair that was "often permed to achieve the desired volume" is especially associated with women of the mid 1980s as well as male rockstars of that era, especially of the glam metal genre. Television shows such as Dynasty helped popularize the high volume bouffant and glamorous image associated with it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regular haircut</span> Simple hairstyle popular among males

A regularhaircut in Western fashion is a men's and boys' hairstyle featuring hair long enough to comb on top, with a defined or deconstructed side part, and back and sides that vary in length from short, semi-short, medium, long, to extra long. The style is also known by other names including taper cut, regular taper cut, side-part and standard haircut; as well as short back and sides, business-man cut and professional cut, subject to varying national, regional, and local interpretations of the specific taper for the back and sides.

The natural hair movement is a movement which aims to encourage people of African descent to embrace their natural, afro-textured hair; especially in the workplace. It originated in the United States during the 1960s, and resurged in popularity in the 2000s.

References

  1. Gabbara, Princess (2016-12-27). "The History of the Fade". EBONY. Retrieved 2019-12-07.
  2. Horne, Madison (February 2019). "A Visual History of Iconic Black Hairstyles". HISTORY. Retrieved 2019-12-07.