Saturday, June 19, 2010

History Through Hairstyles

For today's Sepia Saturday submission I am sharing some of my childhood looks. It is amazing what a hairstyle says about the time period.

The first photo of me was dated, Christmas, 1963. I was four years old at the time. I remember mom sending me to bed with curlers in my hair. The result was a neat, controlled coif.

This photo was taken about three years later. There was no date, but mom wanted me to be stylish with this little pixie cut for my uncle's wedding. I'm guessing the year was 1966. (It is an actual sepia photo).



When I finally had a little "say" in the matter, I wanted to grow my hair long with the part in the middle. I stayed with this look for most of my teenage years. This was my school picture around 1971. I remember the outfit. It was a vest with long double fringes.
I did get a "shag" type haircut in around 1976. I didn't like it very much. I quickly went back to the long, straight, parted in the middle look. When I first met my husband in 1983, my hair was "arse" length. I kept it long and straight until around the age of 30 when I wanted to look respectable. Hubby wants me to go back to "arse" length. I'm not sure how it would look with my fifty year old bod.

18 comments:

Natasha and Jesse said...

What fun pictures! Hairstyles definitely do say a lot about the time period and often have helped to date photos. Natasha from: http://days-of-natasha.blogspot.com/

Nancy said...

It's interesting how hairstyles change over time and how we can sometimes pinpoint the year. Fun photographs. Long hair on 50 is okay....

Martin said...

Great photographic record of your various hair-dos. Long hair at fifty can look very stylish. Go for it.

Unknown said...

Those various looks are familiar, since we're of similar age--lots of girls with those pixie cuts in my grade school. I say if you'd like to have long hair, go for it!

Janelle Goodwin said...

What a great subject for a post! I remember when I told my mom that I wanted a pixie cut. So she was happy to oblige since I hated having my long hair combed. Since then, it's been pink sponge roller, roller under the dryer, heated roller and perms. Now it's back to straight hair - just blow dry. I would love to see a pic of you with your arse long hair!

Shazza said...

I remember that fringe vest, too bad the photo didn't capture them.

I can see you with arse long hair again pulled back in a nice tight braid. It would fit your art teacherish image!

Nana Jo said...

Oh, I love this post! I am two years older than you and I, too, wore my hair straight and parted in the middle all through the '70's! I also remember being sent to bed with my hair in those pink plastic rollers for special oocasions ... such torture! I had a pixie cut in 1968 when I was 11 years old and it was all the rage. I never much liked it, though and grew it out quickly. Thanks for bringing back so many memories.

Katie said...

Oh Neetzy these are wonderful! I especially like the sepia look. And there's nothing wrong with long hair after 45 (says the 45-year old with long hair) so I say go for it!

neetzy said...

Natasha,

Thanks, I ran out of "family" photos, but found some of my childhood.

Nancy, Just a few short years of childhood tell so much. Thanks I'm growing my hair. It is too much of a bother to think of a new style.

Martin, Okay world arse length is back!

John,
It is fun to look back! My mother was much more stylish than I'll ever be. You've all convinced me. Grow baby, grow.

Janelle,
I remember the pink sponge rollers! I'll have to dig for the arse length. Might be wedding photos. I'll see what I can do!

Shazza,

As an art teacher, I can get away with almost any look. I may let the color go white and do dreads.

Nana Jo,

The pixie cut was much easier than the pink foam rollers. I didn't like it much then, but now when I look back it was kinda cute. I've tried so many styles since, but I think I'm going back to long. I pull it up all summer.

Katie,

My hairstylist is always trying to get me to go short, but WTF? I seem to like long. Mine is on the long side lately, but with some layering. I'll let my freak flag fly!

Unknown said...

Interesting; I wrote a short story for a lit. class a couple years ago about my hairstyles, but I didn't go back to childhood. I can't imagine long hair anymore, especially in summer, the shorter the better for me...I never thought about child hairstyles before. Wow sleeping in rollers as a young one, don't know how you did that! Neat photos

neetzy said...

Pat,

I not a super stylish person but I found these photos quite interesting. My mom was much more stylish than I will ever be. I don't look very good in short hair. At least when it is of a certain length I can wear it "up".

dive said...

Yay! What a cutie, Shazza.
I'm with hubby: go long!

neetzy said...

The majority rules. I'm going long! Thanks for your input Dive. I'm not so cute anymore.

Kat Mortensen said...

Ha! I had the "shag" haircut too. I bet we would have been friends if we'd gone to school together.

Kat

Tess Kincaid said...

Cute post!

One of my pet peeves is when time period movies don't get the hair styles right. Films in the 60s and 70s are notoriously bad at this.

neetzy said...

I hear you Willow. I posted my eighties hairstyles today! I am a brave woman.

Jeannette StG said...

Oh my, that reminds me on all the hair styles I had!:) Probably because my mother had the same hairstyle for about 30 years.

neetzy said...

Jeannette,

I was never the "Stylish" one. My mother wanted me to be stylish. I rebelled. I went long a straight. Now I am still long and sometimes curly because humidity is not worth the fight.