From the Bob to the Hamill- 100 Years of Short Hair for Ladies

When fashionable ballroom dancer Irene Castle debuted her bobbed hair for American audiences in 1914, who could have known that a trend would be sparked for bobbed hair that never really faded? From the flapper hairstyles of the 1920s to the pixie cuts of the 1960s, short hair on women is a look born of the 20th century, as long hair on women was favored all the way back into Ancient Greece.

A woman’s long tresses were considered not only one of her best physical attributes, but they were thought to be a sign of her innate femininity and grace. When short hairstyles first rocked the nation there were many who decried the loss of traditional hairstyles. But, the freeing length was an enticement that many women welcomed. Since then short hairstyles for women have become mainstream. From the pixie to the Dorothy Hamill, have a look at the history of women’s short hairstyles over the past 100 years in the video below.