Styles
Deep histories of the hairstyles that defined their eras, from the mullet of Roman emperors and the Iron Age mohawk to the beehive of 1960 Chicago.
Every haircut on this page has a longer past than its name suggests. The mullet was described by Roman writers two thousand years before the word existed. The pompadour is named after a woman who never wore one. The mohawk was held up with imported hair gel in Iron Age Ireland and owes its name to a 1939 Hollywood film. The beehive, unusually, has a known designer and a known year.
Each story is written by the History of Hair Editorial Team from museum collections, archives, primary texts and reference works, with numbered sources at the end. For the tools that made these styles possible, from heated tongs to the bobby pin, see Inventions; for the same looks in their historical setting, browse the Timeline or Famous Hair.
The History of the Mohawk
Its name comes from a 1939 Hollywood film. The haircut itself was being held up with imported hair gel more than two thousand years ago.
The History of the Beehive Hairstyle
A hairdresser was asked to design the look of a new decade. She took inspiration from a hat.
The History of Finger Waves
No heated iron, no machine. Just wet hair, a comb, setting lotion and very skilled fingers.
The History of the Mullet
Business in the front, party in the back is a 1990s joke. The haircut itself is roughly three thousand years older.
The History of the Pompadour
The most famous name in hair history belongs to a woman whose own hair went the other way.
Daily hair history, one image at a time, on Instagram @the_history_of_hair
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