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A popular style after World War II was the flat top. I think this was popularilzed by the shortcuts servicemen wore during the War. They were particularly popular in the late-1940s and 1950s and were worn into the early 60s. There were several different terms used, including crew cuts and butch cuts. Wwe are not yet sure to what extent these were different styles as opposed to different terms for the same short cuts. Of course, the military cuts that inspired them were not stalized like the flat-top. This appears to have developed after the War ing destinctive styles. The flat top seems to have been destinctive as rather than a short cut following the contours of the scalp, the flat top formed a flat top service with hair at different lengths ar various points of the scalp. These styles seem uniqiely American. We don't see European boys wearing them. To an extent these styles seem to revived the cropped hair European boys wore in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. The American styles were not quite so severeEuropean cropped styles in the late-19th and early 20th century.
A popular style after World War II was the flat top. We do not niotice examples in the photographic recird before the War in the 1930s. I think this was popularilzed by the shortcuts servicemen wore during the War. Millions of Anerican men served in the War, many overseas. They got used to military hair cuts. This was one of several World war II fashion influences. These shorts cuts were particularly popular in the late-1940s and 1950s and were worn into the early-60s. Longer styles were beginning to becone popular in the late-1960s, and creplaced the flat-top and related styles in the 70s. The styles were popular with boys in the 1940s and 50s, but by the 60s boys began to object to them, wanting more trendy longer hair cuts. It and related styles have never disappeared with men, especially men pursuing military and police careers. After the 1960s, however, it was not common for boys.
There were several different terms used for short, close cropped hair cuts. Other close cuts include crew cuts and butch cuts. We are not yet sure to what extent these were different styles as opposed to different terms for the same short cuts. But the flat-top was destinctive. The hair was cut to create a flat surface at the top of the head. The standard crew cut involved clipping the hair evenly all over the scalp. Of course, the military cuts that inspired them were not styilized like the flat-top. This appears to have developed after the War. We are not entirely sure if the boy here is wearing a style that would have been called a flat top, but it certainly has some of the featurs. The flat top seems to have been destinctive as rather than a short cut following the contours of the scalp, the flat top formed a flat top service with hair at different lengths ar various points of the scalp. The basic stylistic variationn for flat tops was the length of the hair. During the 1940s-60s when the cut was most popular, the hair was usually cit some where between 0.5-1.0 inch.
Large numbers of American boys wote these short cuts.
Flat-top was not quite as popular as the related styles like the crew cut, but in the 1950s I recall quite a few boys with flat-tops. . It was more difficult to cut and maintain. To look right you needed to apply some kind of hair product (gel, pomade or mousse) to keep the hair follicles standing up. This was not the case for crew cuts. It also needed regular touch ups to look right.
A reader who was in college at the time provides some insights into class destinctions. "When I was in college, the crew cut was quite fashiionable and somewhat 'preppy' but the flat top was considered rather 'infra dig' (from Latin "infra dignitatem" = beneath one's dignity) and therefore somewhat lower-clas or 'cheap'. You never saw flat tops, for instance, at upper-class country clubs, expensive restaurants, or Ivy League colleges and universities. People tended to be snobbish about flat tops. The style was in the same style category as wearing white socks with a dress suit or commercially pre-tied bow ties, which were also taboo among the more privileged classes. Just my personal memories of the late-1940s and early-50s when I was a college boy."
The flat-top seems to have been a style worn by teenagers. We see younger boys wearing these cuts, but the phptyographic record suggests it was more popular with teens.
These styles seem uniqiely American. We don't see European boys wearing them. To an extent these styles seem to revived the cropped hair European boys wore in the late-19th and early 20th centuries. The American styles were not quite so severe as the European cropped styles in the late-19th and early 20th century. We note a range of short styles in other countrfies after World war II, but not flat-tops.
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