When and how did "short hairdo" become mainstream?

VHS · Jan 11, 2022

For the past, people of both genders kept long hair.
In China, it was conventional for men to have buns, and women had many elaborate hairdos.
Forget about Qing pigtail, which is considered shameful today due the woeful performance of the Late Qing Dynasty,
and the hairdo was enforced brutally.
Today, due to convenience, people of both genders often have short hair.
@Sundiata1 keeps luxuriant flowing hair, and Jagmeet Singh, a Canadian political leader, showed off his hair:
(This is only for the hairdo; let's forget about politics.)

Men with long hair isn't necessarily feminine; robust hair growth is a good sign of health and masculinity.
We know the Qing pigtail is a hassle in battles and daily activities; buns are for tidiness and can be challenging to do.
When did people start trimming their hair short?
Why "long hair" is considered relatively unusual on men?

Tercios Espanoles · Jan 11, 2022

VHS said:
When did people start trimming their hair short?

I believe the answer differs depending on gender, location and - as in the case of the Honourable M. Singh - religion.

If we just look at the pictorial evidence, I would say the trend for men began in the late 18th century.

Naomasa298 · Jan 11, 2022

VHS said:
For the past, people of both genders kept long hair.

No, SOME people wore long hair.

Just because people in China did it, it does not mean the rest of the world did.

Kolja · Jan 11, 2022

Short (or at least short-ish) haircuts were seen among East-Slavs since at least the X century. For instance, from the year 971 AD we have a Byzantine description of an East-Slav noble that says he had his whole head shaved except for one lock of hair on one side.

Under native East-Slavic beliefs the "postrig" ceremony of cutting hair was seen as a right of passage for boys. This ceremony could be done during the transition of adolescence, or earlier around age four or five during the first haircut. But also later in the medieval, even after Christianity had been adopted, a special haircut was sometimes performed to mark the passage of a young man into his adult duties. So we can see that, at least in the case of East-Slavs, cutting hair could have traditional significance, not just a practical or fashionable thing.

Kolja · Jan 11, 2022

During the late medieval and renaissance period it seems that west-European nobles could cut their hair short into a "bowl". Although I'm not too familiar with west-European history of this time, so maybe someone else can say just how common it was.

Chlodio · Jan 11, 2022

For men anyway, the motive was probably simplicity. Shorter hair is easier to keep clean and to groom. Some men were probably cutting their hair as soon as their culture acquired the technology to make sharp metal blades for scissors and razors. Evolution toward an economy of specialized tradesmen probably helped since that's what a barber is. Specialized trades were relatively rare in the Iron Age, but became much more common in the Historical Era. Of course different cultures advanced from Iron Age to Historical Era at different times.

For women, I don't know that short hair was ever fashionable prior to the 1920s, in America at least. Women have always invested great effort into their appearance, usually more than men, so they were more willing to care for longer hair.

Tercios Espanoles · Jan 11, 2022

Chlodio said:
For men anyway, the motive was probably simplicity. Shorter hair is easier to keep clean and to groom. Some men were probably cutting their hair as soon as their culture acquired the technology to make sharp metal blades for scissors and razors. Evolution toward an economy of specialized tradesmen probably helped since that's what a barber is. Specialized trades were relatively rare in the Iron Age, but became much more common in the Historical Era. Of course different cultures advanced from Iron Age to Historical Era at different times.

I don't think any time frame can be nailed down. Spartan boys shaved their heads while Spartan adults let it grow long, "the cheapest of ornaments". We have the previously mentioned medieval tonsures, followed by the wild locks of the 17th century. I read in one place that the ......' "bob" first appeared in 1909 and was inspired by Joan of Arc.

Belgarion · Jan 11, 2022

In the modern era I believe short hair for men became fashionable from around the mid 19th century, starting out as a practical style for military personnel in the field and spreading to the wider population from there.

Karri · Jan 11, 2022

Like said, shorter hair is easier to take care of. I'm pretty sure fashion has gone in the same cycles since the start of time.

Belgarion said:
In the modern era I believe short hair for men became fashionable from around the mid 19th century, starting out as a practical style for military personnel in the field and spreading to the wider population from there.

Also practical in ensuring that louse, ticks etc don't become a major problem.

Kolja · Jan 11, 2022

Belgarion said:
In the modern era I believe short hair for men became fashionable from around the mid 19th century, starting out as a practical style for military personnel in the field and spreading to the wider population from there.

In Ukraine short hair for men was already fashionable in the early-modern. Cossack men of the XVII century were known for wearing the "khokhol" haircut.

Picard · Jan 11, 2022

In addition to previous note about Slavs, in Croatia during the Ottoman wars it was not unusual to have hair completely shaved off or shaved off with a "ponytail" (similar to kholkhol above) being left. Presumably it was done to allow easier treatment of head wounds.

specul8 · Jan 11, 2022

Short hair for women was an Australian tradition for tens of thousands of years . hair was too valuable to leave it growing on your head .

Aboriginal human hair belt

Kolja · Jan 12, 2022

I think what we can conclude from all these examples is that the Chinese mentioned by the opening poster may have been the exception, not the normal, when it came to having long hair through history.

Tercios Espanoles · Jan 12, 2022

Kolja said:
I think what we can conclude from all these examples is that the Chinese mentioned by the opening poster may have been the exception, not the normal, when it came to having long hair through history.

Um, no.

Kolja · Jan 12, 2022

Tercios Espanoles said:
Um, no.
View attachment 52588

And yet, before this fashion, European men were cutting their hair short, like the medieval examples from both East and West Europe that I mentioned. So, we can not say that long hair was a continuous fashion in Europe before the modern period, like it seems to have been in China.

And in North-America too, there were tribes where the "mainstream" haircut was short, like the Mohawk people. And specul8 has told us that people in Oceania were known to cut their hair short. And Naomasa298 pointed out the Romans cutting their hair short. And the Mongols were known to have traditional short haircuts like this. And in different parts of Africa women were known to have short hair like this. So short hair seems to have had a prominence in much of the world at various points in history, unlike what the opening poster suggested when they said that "For the past, people of both genders kept long hair".

Port · Jan 12, 2022

Naomasa298 said:
No, SOME people wore long hair.

Just because people in China did it, it does not mean the rest of the world did.

After World War 2 the crew cut was very popular for boys. It was seen as "cool " and masculine. Maybe as a response to the soldiers having their hair cut short to fit the helmets? I doubt they came in sizes.;

Kolja · Jan 12, 2022

Port said:
After World War 2 the crew cut was very popular for boys. It was seen as "cool " and masculine. Maybe as a response to the soldiers having their hair cut short to fit the helmets? I doubt they came in sizes.;

Didn't the crew cut also come to be seen as a sign of "conservative" views when the hippies began growing long hair in the 1960s?

Dreamhunter · Jan 12, 2022

In the 70s to 80s, showing up too much forehead was kind of, well, a bit nerdy, I think.

So, guys would be covering up their forehead as much as possible. Just like what Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan still seems to be doing now.

I only started experimenting with a somewhat watered down version of the crew cut style like in late 90s. And then more or less just stuck to that ever since.

Karri · Jan 12, 2022

Dreamhunter said:
I only started experimenting with a somewhat watered down version of the crew cut style like in late 90s. And then more or less just stuck to that ever since.

I think that's one of the major points. Whenever I go to the barber they pretty much all just cut it short. Honestly, I don't even know what sort of haircut I could ask for. Either I don't go and just grow my hair or they just give me the short cut.

Sephiroth · Jan 12, 2022

I would think most people (in Europe at least) had short hair since it is easier to take care of etc. Only rich people, like kings, etc. could afford to have long hair and long beard. They would look fabulous. For the average Joe it was probably a hassle.

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When and how did "short hairdo" become mainstream?

VHS

Tercios Espanoles

Naomasa298

Kolja

Kolja

Chlodio

Tercios Espanoles

Belgarion

Karri

Kolja

Picard

specul8

Kolja

Tercios Espanoles

Kolja

Port

Kolja

Dreamhunter

Karri

Sephiroth

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