Tag Archives: hair cuts

Haircuts From Hell: Share Your Worst Hair Experience!

Winona Dimeo-EdigerNovember 5, 2010 //

You know that scene in “Jaws” where the three guys get drunk below deck and start comparing scars, trying to one up each other, until Quint totally wins with his chilling account of watching all his friends get eaten by sharks during the sinking of the USS Indianapolis? Get a group of women talking about haircut horror stories, and it is usually a very similar scene. The mood gets very serious and competitive. Someone almost always dramatically lifts the hair above her ear to reveal a burn mark, whispering “curling iron, 1987,” and then one person finally unleashes her story of a haircut so epically bad, so emotionally traumatic, that the group can only shake their heads in reverent silence …

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’80s Shave Cuts Are Hot Again?

Leonora EpsteinJune 17, 2010 //

The thing about fashion comebacks is that they’re always fleeting and transitory—after all, causing change is as easy as taking off your clothes. This is a good thing, for if we were forced to wear the same scrunchie and acid wash jeans for weeks at a time, we’d ensure the demise of civilized society as we know it. This is why hair comebacks are all the more frightening: commitment. At least for a few months, until you can re-grow your hair.

It would seem that now folks are lining up to bring back The Fade, a hip-hop-influenced hairstyle, often embellished with personal, shaved designs and once popularized by the likes of DJ Jazzy Jeff and Salt-N-Pepa. According to The New York Times, “the so-called retro kids are going back to the styles of the ’80s, this time adding more intricate patterns than were ever seen then, more startling neon colors and patterns …” Some consider the style to be closer to art than anything else, and the barber who executes it has to have a creative hand. Says one stylist, “I draw some of the designs on paper but when I’m doing the actual hair, it’s just a flow.”

What do you think about this ’80s trend revival? Is shaving a pattern onto your head a unique way to express yourself? Or a fashion statement that’s screaming for help? [NY Times] Keep reading »

Change Your Hair A Lot? Probably Means You’re Psycho

Leonora EpsteinMay 14, 2010 //

You know the cliche—women who chop off all their hair are going through a breakup. [I did it! -- Editor Amelia] There is some truth behind this assumption, according to psychotherapist Heather Turgeon, who explains that, “Hairstyles are one of the most obvious, defining changes women can make to their appearance.” Although Turgeon says constant hair changes could simply be some people’s way of showing off their personality, rather than a sign of inner conflict, there is something to say for women who are obsessed with re-doing their hair, as they might suffer from weird psychological neuroses. Keep reading »

Do You Bring Pics In To Share With Your Stylist Too?

Leonora EpsteinApril 20, 2010 //

Whether you’re going to a new hairdresser or trying out a drastically different hairstyle, communicating your vision to a hairstylist isn’t always the easiest thing to do. There are two ways to go into this—bring a picture of a celeb with exactly the look you want (and hope they can execute it accurately) or describe the idea as best you can, letting the stylist adopt an interpretation of your description.

I’ve had pretty short hair for a while, but in the past few months I had let myself go, and my hair had gotten to the point where it was almost long enough to form a stubby ponytail. I knew exactly how I wanted my hair to be, and found this picture of Jean Seberg in “Breathless” to show my new hairdresser. “I want this,” I explained to him, “But just a teensy tiny bit longer. Maybe just a half inch.” Keep reading »

Are You Sporting A “Recession” Haircut?

Leonora EpsteinSeptember 30, 2009 //

We’ve jokingly talked before about why women cut their hair, but here’s a historical example we didn’t really consider: war and its economic impact. The U.K.’s Telegraph recently reprinted a 1939 article dealing with trends in women’s hairstyles.

Back then, we learn, ladies were switching to short styles out of practicality and thrift: “Women who had cultivated romantic coiffures for which they had grown their hair 12 inches, are having seven of those inches cut off. Hairdressing is returning instead of hair-building.”

So, how have our thoughts about going short in times of economic crisis changed since the ’40s?
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Bowl Cuts Abound

Catherine StrawnJuly 6, 2009 //

The line between a bob and a bowl cut is a fine one, determined by just a few snips of a hairdresser’s scissors. Do the bangs blend right into the rest of the hair? Are the edges rounded? If so, you’ve got a bowl cut, the style you might have had back when your mom was still deciding how you wore your hair. Keep reading »