Figure 1.--This "Sixer Annual" is undated, but this Cub's long hair help to date it to the 1970s. This was the 1976 annual. The "moptop" long hair of the Cub was very much the fashion of the day. One reader comments, "A far cry from today where boy's hair styling has become far more sophisticated." Another reader points out, "I would have thought that the 1970s' long hairstyles demanded more sophistication and expertise from the hairdresser than today's fashionable crewcuts--or so my own barber tells me!"

We note consideable differences as to hair styles worn by boys in uniformed youth groups. Some organizations like the Boy Scouts do not appear to have exerted any influence on hair styles. Scout hair styles appear to have changed over time and are a reflection of a variety of popular styles. Other organizations like the Hitler Youth appear to have exeted more influence on the hair styles the boys wore, at lest they are more uniform. We are less sure about the influence of other groups like the Young Pioneers. In a way, hair styles may be a reflection of the charcter of the youth groups and the social controls exerted over its members. Of course this is a complicated subject. Other institutions, especially schools have influenced schools. Inaddition some youth groups have long histories like the Boys' Brigade and Scouts while others like the Hitler Youth and Italian Bilaial have short rather short histories. The longer the history, of course, the greater the range of hair styles that have been worn over time.

Boys' Brigade

No information availabe, bjut as the brigade is a church-based group, it has probably exerted a conservative influence. But as the boys generally come from socially conservative families, it is difficylt to diferentiate between family and Church/Brigade infuences.

Boy Scouts

Some organizations like the Boy Scouts do not appear to have exerted any influence on hair styles. Scout hair styles appear to have changed over time and are a reflection of a variety of popular styles. We have note Boy Scours wearing virtually every hair style imaginable. Ceratinly the Boy Scouts have influenced generations of boys, but clearly the boys and popular fashion have influenced the Scouts as well.

Cadets

When long hair became fashionable in the late 1960s into the 70s, the youth groups in Britain most affected were the cadets: army, navy and air force. This is because short hair was still required in the armed forces and it was thought that long unkempt hair looked terrible with a military uniform, sprouting out from beneath a beret. In contrast, one HBC reader writes, "The British Cub's hair looks just fine with his boyish cap in the Sixer picture". Cadet officers fought a constant battle against long hair and there were even official posters on display showing desired hair lengths, such as that the hair was not to touch the collar of the boy's uniform or be over his ears. Of course in the 2000s there is no such problem since fashion demands extremely short hair: shorter even than the regulation army haircut of earlier decades.

Hitler Youth

The Hitler Youth appear to have exeted more influence on the hair styles the boys wore that the Scouts. At lest they are more uniform. Many German boys in the earl-20th century wore short even cropped hair. After World War I this convention rapidly declined. And by the time the NAZIs seized power (1933), German boys mostly had short hair styles, albeit long enough hair to comb. Younger German boys might have longish hair, especially boys from well-to-do colonies, but we no longersee this for boys who rached 10 years of age and joined th Jitler Youth. The whole pirpose of the Hitler Youth was to mold, not just influence, a generatuion of German boys in the NAZI mild. This it did all too well. Here it is difficult to assess to what extent other instituions like schools may have influenced styles. Also the Hitler Youth ended in 1945 after a relatively short existence. Over short periods there is less possibility for hair styles to change. We note among the Hitler Youth boys a very uniform short back-and-sides, military style and believe that the organization did exert an influence on hair styles.

Italian Bilaial

No information available yet.

Young Pioneers

We are less sure about the influence of other groups like the Young Pioneers. In a way, hair styles may be a reflection of the character of the youth groups and the social controls exerted over its members. Here the Pioneers in Eastern Europe operated for over 40 years, even longer in the Soviet Union. This permitted considerable time for changes in popular hair styles. We simply do not know, however, the influence of the Pioneers. School may well have been a greater influence. Hopefully our HBC readers will provide some insights here.