Bob cut
From Haircentric.com
Image:MDafoeBob20s.jpg A bob is a haircut, usually for women but occasionally for men, in which the hair is cut short, but a weighted area is left to fall between the ears and chin.
It was invented in 1909 in Paris by the hairdresser Antoine, who was inspired by "Joan of Arc." In Britain it became popular in "Bloomsbury"" circles before the end of the First World War, but was made widely popular in the 1920s by flappers. At the time it was considered a sign of a liberated woman.
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Early adherents
Early film stars associated with the bob included Louise Brooks - the "Louise Brooks bob" as Paramount studios called it in 1927 - Colleen Moore and Zazu Pitts. In Germany, brunette Louise Brooks's haircut was known as "the black helmet," because it resembled a German helmet.
1960s and beyond
In the 1960s, Vidal Sassoon made it popular again, using the shape of the early bob and making it more stylish in a simpler cut. Its resurgence coincided with the arrival of the "mop top" Beatle cut for men. Those associated with the bob at that time included the fashion designers Mary Quant and Jean Muir and singers as diverse as Cilla Black, Billie Davis (b.1945) and Juliette Gréco. Many different styles and combinations of the bob have evolved since.In the late 1980's, Siouxsie Sioux lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees had a bob cut for a short time. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue since 1988, apparently had hers trimmed every day (Times 2, 10 July 2006). More recently the bob was adopted by the British actress Sienna Miller in 2005-6 as a move away from boho-chic.
See also
- Bobby pin
- "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald on the subject.