Posted by Ev (other posts) on February 10, 2014 at 06:06:46 Previous Next
In Reply to: Hair History questions. posted by Kenneth on February 06, 2014 at 11:09:15:
: Why did short hair becomes so puritanical from the turn of the 19th century to the 1950s. I know the wars had something to do with it but that doesn't explain why most the civilian males went along with it too.
BUT THAT'S JUST IT! There almost WEREN'T any civilan males left. Universal conscription. From, if I'm not mistaken, 18 to 45 in the United States during World War I and II. It was even worse during the Civil War and across the Atlantic in Europe.
I think to answer this question, you have to put in the greater context of the rise of the modern nation-state, the rise of nationalism and national identity, of strong central governments, of large corporations, of universal education and so forth.
I think you also have to put some blame on the deterministic Cartesian / Newtonian worldview that encouraged division into clear distinct unambiguous categories. No quantum uncertainty. Male or female. If X then Y. That sort of thinking encouraged rigidifying social customs and uniformity.
: Perhaps hollywood had an influence?
Hollywood only cemented the gender differences that were already in place. The short hair for male pattern was already established by the time Hollywood was a significant cultural force. Oh, interestingly, Hollywood, like every other institution, became factory-like during the first half of the 20th century. In fact, it's called the Hollywood factory system in textbooks. Movies were made in a manner akin to an automobile assembly line or canned food. A long-haired male character simply wouldn't be among the raw materials supplied into the factory.
: As you know the 19th century was pretty liberal as far as personal style went.