Figure 1.--Most boys in the 1920s wore short hair. Mothers might delay cutting the hairof younger boys and let natural curls grow. The age of cutting a boy's hair varried,. Snapsgots like this one help show family conventions. Bangs were also popular for younger boys as well as girls of all ages. This snapshot was taken during the 1920's in Laureville, Ohio. It came from the Alstadt family album.

Short styles became dominant, especially after World War I (1914-18). Boys no longer wore ringlet curls. Mothers had to give into poular fashion which no longer saw ringlets as accptable for boys. Ringlets became a decidedly girlish fashion. We do see mothers postpone hair cuts for younger boys and allow natural curls to grow. Most boys after about 3-4 years wore short hair. Cropped hair was not real common. Short cuts seem popular, but to a length that could be parted. The hair was common cut well around the ears, but precise lengths and styles varied, in part because of the varied nature of hair. The front of the hair varied. Younger boys continued to wear bangs, but older boys treated the front of their hair in different ways. Actually the attention in the 1920s was off the boys and focused on the girls. Girls and young women as casual fashions became more popular and skirt lines rose, decided to "bob" their hair. The term "bob" in connection with cutting hair short seems to have come from the term for cutting a horse's tail short ("Bob-tailed nag"). A celebrated ball room dance in the 1910s, Irene Castle cut her hair short (1915). The cut came to be known as the "Castle Bob" and after World War I many girls and young women embraced the style. For girls it was common bangs at the front and hair over their ears at the side. Celebrated novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald even wrote a short story, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", for the Saturday Evening Post (1920). Both boys and girls wore commonly wore bangs in the 1920s. The primary dufference was the length of hair at the sides. Here mothers had some discression, at least for younger boys. The complete history of the decade was not just short hair. Ringlets came bacl with a vengence at the very end of the decade, at least for little girls. This resulted from a spectacular little girls in the movies--Shirley Temple. This trend florished in the 1930s.

Trends

Short styles became dominant, especially after World War I (1914-18). Boys no longer wore ringlet curls. Mothers had to give into poular fashion which no longer saw ringlets as accptable for boys. Ringlets became a decidedly girlish fashion.

Age

We do see mothers postpone hair cuts for younger boys and allow natural curls to grow. Most boys after about 3-4 years wore short hair.

Length

Short cuts were the dominant hair styles for boys. Short cuts seem most popular for schoo-age boys. We do not see many boys wih cropped hair, rather boys wore their hair at lengths that could be parted. Little boys mighthave longish hair, even over the ears. This was, however, rare for school age boys. .

Styles

We note quite a range of hair styles in the 1920s. The styles worn by younger boys were especially varied. Cropped hair was not real common. The hair was common cut well around the ears, but precise lengths and styles varied, in part because of the varied nature of hair. The front of the hair varied. Younger boys continued to wear bangs, but older boys treated the front of their hair in different ways. Both boys and girls wore commonly wore bangs in the 1920s. The primary difference was the length of hair at the sides. Here mothers had some discression, at least for younger boys who might wear page boy cuts with hair over their ears. . Some boys had naturally curly hair and thus we see some boys wih curly mops. Buster Brown bangs were going out of style, espcilly after the middle of the decade. Younger boys might have bowl cuts mother did at home.

Gender

Actually the attention concerning hair in the 1920s was off the boys and focused on the girls. Girls and young women as casual fashions became more popular and skirt lines rose, decided to "bob" their hair. The term "bob" in connection with cutting hair short seems to have come from the term for cutting a horse's tail short ("Bob-tailed nag"). A celebrated ball room dance in the 1910s, Irene Castle cut her hair short (1915). The cut came to be known as the "Castle Bob" and after World War I many girls and young women embraced the style. For girls it was common bangs at the front and hair over their ears at the side. Celebrated novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald even wrote a short story, "Bernice Bobs Her Hair", for the Saturday Evening Post (1920). The complete history of the decade was not just short hair. Ringlets came back with a vengence at the very end of the decade, at least for little girls. This resulted from a spectacular little girls in the movies--Shirley Temple. This trend florished in the 1930s.

Clothing

We have developed some vinformation on the hair styles worn with vatious outfits during the 1920s. Onevof these outfits were sailor suits.

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Created: 11:52 AM 10/29/2008
Last edited: 2:41 AM 5/26/2012