Source: vogue
This year is an important year for beauty salon trends to change, especially when it comes to hair. In the past few weeks alone, among others, Demi Lovato, Cady Lopato and Cadet Lee have been included in the last few weeks. Celebrities including Cardi B and Emma Watson have decided to refresh themselves with a super short elf haircut. In fact, elf short hair has become one of the most directional hairstyles of 2021, but this hairstyle also has an interesting history.
A brief history of elf short hair
The earliest example of European women embracing short hair dates back to early 19th-century France, when women wore Titus hairstyles that are thought to have been inspired by the hairstyles of prisoners before they were sent to the guillotine. Not surprisingly, this trend didn't last long, and with the exception of the 1920s when bobo head (a subversive hairstyle that became popular among trendy young girls), long hair was still the dominant style.
In the 1930s and 1940s, as the hairstyles of fashionable young girls gradually faded from people's vision, long hair became popular again. Soon in the 1950s, the elf short hair as we know it today was born, although it wasn't as short as it is now. Elf short hair became popular with Audrey Hepburn and Jean Seberg, who boldly refused to leave long waves and headscarves on screen, making elf short hair a symbol of mavericks and empowerment.
Rachael Gibson, a researcher on the history of hairstyles, explains: "Hepburn went a long way in making short hair the dominant and was widely praised for driving the popularity of elf short hair, especially in her 1953 film Roman Holiday." There is a scene in this film where Hepburn cuts off her own hair, marking a new beginning for her character and a new sense of freedom. Since then, the genie head has been fully integrated into modern culture. The youth shocks and sexual liberation of the 1960s brought with them the idea of gender fluidity, which meant that idols like Twiggy and Mia Farrow could have shorter haircuts.
With the ebb and flow of fashion, the 1970s marked the resurgence of the popularity of long hair, but in the 80s and 90s, elf heads were back. Michael Angelo, a hair stylist and owner at Wonderland Beauty Parlor in New York, said: "In the late 80s and early '90s, the elf short hair trend hit, and people who cut this hairstyle wanted to make it very feminine." Think of Cyndi Lauper, Linda Evangelista, and Princess Diana— their hairstyles were much softer than those of the elves of the 1960s, but still influential.
By the late 1990s and early 2000s, the genie was no longer a gender rebellion, but a statement of personality and an extoll of alternative beauty. Take, for example, Toni Braxton, Halle Berry, Monica, and TLC's T-Boz. "Elf short hair always reminds me of the cool alternative girls of the 1990s whose hairstyles were more like hand-cuts. Chloë Sevigny, [model] Jenny Shimizu and Winona Ryder in the film Half-Baked Boy [1995] are great examples," says Gibson. These women cut their hair as a way of empowerment, breaking free from the narrow definition of the model of beauty that was dominant at the time.
The short hair of the elf became a symbol of individuality
Nowadays, the elf head gives the impression of being sharp and profound. Amber Maynard Bolt, a stylist who recently cut a short fairy hair for Demi Lovato, said in an interview with Vogue: "The design of this hairstyle reflects what she knows about herself, and she chose to express her inner feelings through hairstyles. For many people, hair represents a safety barrier. People are afraid to cut their own hair. But once you cut it off, you can know yourself in a way you never thought possible. ”
Needless to say, there must be a reason why genie heads have become a fashion trend. The early 19th century, the 1920s, the 1950s and the 1960s were turbulent and uncertain times. And in 2021, against the backdrop of a protracted epidemic ravaging everywhere and global social tensions, it is no wonder that many people regain a sense of control and regain their identity through hair replacements. In this sense, today's genie heads represent a kind of freedom, the kind of freedom that people crave after more than a year of working from home, not seeing friends, and rarely going out. "A radical shift like going from long hair to short hair, throwing off the image of the past, really feels refreshed and very exciting," says Angelo.
Aura Friedman, creative director at Sally Hershberger's Los Angeles Hair Salon, said: "I'm definitely going to see elf short hair getting more and more popular. After a long winter at home, people began to crave a new, lighter look, and this fairy head was a great way to cut off lifeless long, dull hair, welcome a new season, and start a new life. ”
Others attribute the prevalence of short elf hair to growing nostalgia. Marie-Michèle Larivée, a trend forecaster, explains: "Influenced by two Netflix documentaries, recent interviews with Meghan and Harry, and the Netflix series The Crown, the current heat about the emergence and discussion of Princess Diana is at its peak."
In the return of the elf short hair, the influence of the neutral beauty movement is also undeniable. "In 2021, the elf short hair is meant to 'take me seriously' rather than 'see how beautiful I am', and at the same time, this hairstyle is still very pleasing," Angelo explains. "Today, our view of gender is paving the way for hairstyle design, whether feminine or masculine, and people are free to choose their hairstyle as they wish."
How will it evolve?
So, in the future, what will the elf short hair become? "After the lockdown, we'll be back in the style of the 1920s, re-enacting the glamour and sophistication of the outfits, and the hairstyle feels like the perfect match," she says. "It's exciting that people will prefer structural, shaped, and technically complex hairstyles to haircuts that are only one inch shorter and blow-dried well." This is good news for hair stylists and will have a profound impact on fashion. ”
Modern fairy heads, some dyed in a lot of interesting colors, some with soft blonde hair, and others with bold red, all look great, and once you add color to the mixed hair dye, you can create a very different but equally bold look. Fashion pioneers like Zoë Kravitz, Halsey and Teyana Taylor prove that you can easily handle a cool elf short haircut. And that's where we really see the elf's short hair experimenting with colours: For example, at the Dolce & Gabbana Fall/Winter 2021 fashion show, hair stylist Guido Palau dyed the elf's head pink and blue like marshmallows.
At the end of the day, though, what kind of hairstyle you want is up to you. As Friedman puts it, "Hairstyles are a personal choice that can truly reflect your personality." So, enjoy yourself and don't be afraid to change. ”