Curls and Culture: Hairstyles in British Cinema 1930–80

Abstract

This article analyzes the cultural meanings of hair from an anthropological point of view, and argues that head hair is used to create distinction. The performance of hairstyles speaks about the class, leisure, and cultural competence of the wearer. The article sets up a number of terminologies for hairstyle analysis: symmetry/intensity/composition/innovation/cultural quotation/technology.

The article then looks at female hairstyles in British cinema. It problematizes the idea that hairdressers could be ascribed with agency in production, and looks at the meaning of female hairstyles in the 1930s. It then considers hairstyles in films aimed at female audiences in the 1940s. The article analyzes the narrative function of female hairstyles in films of later periods, particularly the 1970s, and argues that hair operated as a symbol of desire, fear, and innovation in a range of film texts. Archival and textual analysis of Barry Lyndon suggests that under certain rare circumstances, the meaning of hairstyles could break loose from the intentions of the director or producer.

Keywords:

• hairstyles
• cultural history
• British cinema