I decided to start writing on-line articles for extra cash. Here is my first one. Let me know what you think.
In the 1980's, bigger was better... especially when it came to hair. Hairspray, teasing combs, curling irons, permanents, and blow dryers ruled in this era of excess. Big hair was not just unique to the 80's. the 1970's brought us the afro and the back in the 1960's, beehives were all the rage. In the early 1980's, women still had feathered hair a la Farrah Fawcett, but hairstyles rapidly evolved from flipped and feathered to huge and hairsprayed. If you bought stock in Aquanet in the 1980's, you would be sitting pretty right now!
Curly hair was highly popular and women went in droves to get permanents. These curls were worn small and tight or gelled to achieve the "wet look." Since having straight hair was the ultimate sin in the 80's, people whose hair was too thin or straight to be permed simply teased the sides and front of their hair, applied massive amounts of hairspray and blew it dry for rock star rock-hard hair.
Bangs also became all the rage and women would spend hours teasing, hairspraying and using a blow dryer to build tower-like "party bangs." it almost seemed like a competition among women of the time to see whose bags could be the tallest. Whether flipped over or under or sticking straight up into the air, bangs in the 80's made you believe women were sticking their fingers in electric sockets!
The music of the decade played a huge role in hair. Metal bands inspired men and women alike to not only bang their head, but grow out and tease their hair as well. The punk rock revolution revolutionized hair styles. Spiked or mohawked, razor-cut or brightly dyed, this hair would scream "look at me!" New Wave groups had loyal followers who would try and copy their favorite band's outrageous do's. Strange angles, odd color combinations, blunt cuts and even props like plastics and metal were brought in to make hair more like art.
Young or old, many women adopted a cutesy look that included side ponytails, banana clips, glitter gel, ribbon barrettes and scrunchies. Hair crimping became wildly popular, whether the crimping iron produced tight zig-zags or looser, flowing waves.
As for the fellas, styles ranged from bowl cuts to pompadours and from tight curls to the ever-popular mullet, which was shorter in the front and longer in the back. Many men grew their hair out, while others kept it short, neat and preppy. Hairstyles for men were all over the spectrum. Men were not afraid to spend as much time on their hair as the ladies did!
The 1980's brought us many cringe-worthy quaffs. The damage inflicted on hair in that era took about a decade to repair. Thankfully, the 1990's offered a reprieve from extreme hairdos and let people go back to a more natural look. It is always amusing to look back on these styles, which were some of the most extreme and diverse characteristics of that decade.