Figure 1.--

When we were younger we had a "un cran" (a crimp) or "une choupette" (no English translation) in our hair hair. The curls lasted about a week. Choupette was a familiar name, but is not an official French word, that is recognized by the French Academy. [HBC mentions this because in English there is no such thing as an "official" English language.] It describes a small bunch of hairs dressed up and bound together with a knot. It was a big curl of hair placed at the middle head. Also we had to keep for some time a "bigoudi" or a "barette" in our hair. The style was actually quite common for boys in affluent families. Many mothers wanted their boys to look like "enfants modèles" (model children). This was most common from the 1930s through the early 1950s, but disappeared after the mid-1950s.

When I was 5 years old I had my first hair cut in a barber hop. I remember this very clearly today. I was afraid because the barber passed the scissors over a flame to disinfect it. Before this my nanny always cut my hair.

I usually had my hair parted on the right. But for some styles it was parted on the left. My hair was not natural curly, so the maid at night put 2 or 3 curlers "bigoudis" in my hair. In my time they were made in wood or bakelit; today they are plastic. (Bigoudi pronunciation = bee goo dee.) Then the next morning it was easy to do a "choupette" hair style which lasted 2 or 3 days. {Choupette pronunciation = shoo pet.) The "bigoudis" were not particularly pleasant to keep or tomsleep in. So it could be replaced by some "barrettes". I suppose that probably the American boys in the 19th century to maintain the hair styles shown on HBC had the same treament for their ringlet curls ! We certainly looked attractive, but we sufferd a bit to get it

I have a some of the actual "bigoudis" used for my choupette as a little boy. My memmory of them, however, is vague. I recall better the barettes that were used in my hair. I have to say that I do have good memmories from when I was 4 years old, althougjh not specialy about the clothes.

Alain Paul