View source for Big hair

{{Short description|Bouffant hairstyle}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2021}}[[File:Dolly Parton 2.jpg|thumb|[[Dolly Parton]] in 1983]]
'''Big hair''' is a [[haircut|hairstyle]] that emphasizes large [[Hair#Texture|volume]] or largely styled hair, especially when those styles make the hair occupy a large amount of space above and around the head.  The label "big hair" for such styles originated in the late 1970s, when these styles were beginning a period of popularity. Similar styles have become fashionable at various periods in history.<ref>"Big hair", entry in [http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/big+hair Merriam-Webster Online], accessed March 23, 2010.</ref>
==History==
[[File:Thompson-twins-tom2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Tom Bailey (musician)|Tom Bailey]] of the [[Thompson Twins]], 1986]]
Big hair became popular in the 1980s for men as well as for women. The term is also used in the [[glam rock]], [[hair metal]], [[Gothic fashion|goth]] and [[alternative culture]]s and is particularly associated with fashion of the 1980s, or inspired by the period.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Innes-Smith|first=James|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50729398|title=Bad hair|date=2003|publisher=Bloomsbury|others=Henrietta Webb|isbn=1-58234-329-2|edition=1st U.S.|location=New York|pages=|oclc=50729398}}</ref> From these origins, big hair became a feature of a number of [[Japan]]ese street and alternative fashions, including [[Harajuku]] and [[ganguro]].<ref>Tiffany Godoy and Ivan Vartanian, ''Style Deficit Disorder: Harajuku Street Fashion - Tokyo'' (Chronicle Books, 2007; {{ISBN|0-8118-5796-4}})</ref> In the early 1980s, [[Brooke Shields]] became a dominant force in the fashion trend after becoming a teen model in 1980. She has appeared in numerous magazine covers with different styles of long and big hair, making her one of the most influential fashion icons of the early 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web|last=O'Neill|first=Catherine Q.|date=2014-08-21|title=Brooke Shields's Beauty Evolution|url=https://www.allure.com/gallery/brooke-shields-beauty-evolution|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805040338/http://www.allure.com:80/gallery/brooke-shields-beauty-evolution |archive-date=August 5, 2016 |access-date=|website=Allure|language=en-us}}</ref> In the mid-1980s, rising pop star [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna]] sported big hair when photographed by [[Francesco Scavullo]] for ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''. Soon, many women emulated her look, making her one of the most iconic celebrities in 1980s fashion.<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Skow |first=John |date=May 27, 1985 |url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601850527,00.html |title=Show Business: Madonna Rocks the Land |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |volume=125 |issue=21 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005123220/http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,957012,00.html |archive-date=October 5, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Whacker|first=Pud|date=2013-05-14|title=Pud Whacker's Madonna Scrapbook: Bella Madonna|url=http://madonnascrapbook.blogspot.com/2013/05/bella-madonna.html|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925193632/http://madonnascrapbook.blogspot.com/2013/05/bella-madonna.html |archive-date=September 25, 2015 |access-date=2018-04-23|website=madonnascrapbook.blogspot.com}}</ref>
==Techniques==
Depending on the specific style, hairstyles in the big hair categories may require a number of styling, cutting, or treatment techniques. Styling of punk and alternative big hair styles often requires [[backcombing]] (teasing) and the liberal application of styling aids such as [[hair spray]], [[hair mousse]], or [[hair gel]], often in combination with the use of hair dryers. Crimping irons, [[permanent wave|perms]], hair rollers, or other techniques may also be required.<ref name=":1" />
==Naturally voluminous hair==
[[File:Annie Khalid during a concert.jpg|thumb|Singer [[Annie Khalid]]]]
Many people of various ethnicities throughout the world have naturally voluminous hair. For these people, "big hair" is not a deliberate fashion statement requiring any particular technique to achieve, but rather the default state of their hair. Some 60 percent of the world's population has naturally curly hair, which tends to be more voluminous than straight hair.<ref>{{cite web |website=Naturally Curly |title=The Curly Hair Gene: Fact or Fiction? |url=https://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/hairstyles/curly-hair-gene/}}</ref>
Big hair is seen as artificial or trendy by some people. This has often led to misunderstandings and even [[discrimination based on hair texture]]. In 2013, for example, 12-year-old [[Faith Christian Academy#History|Vanessa VanDyke]] was threatened with expulsion for wearing her hair in its natural state. School officials claimed her voluminous hair was a "distraction".<ref>{{cite web |website=MSNBC |title=Florida school threatens to expel student over 'natural hair' |date=November 26, 2013 |url=http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word-94}}</ref> In some East or Southeast Asian communities where the majority of people have straight hair, voluminous curly or [[afro-textured hair]] may also be seen as an oddity.<ref>{{cite news |newspaper=The Washington Post |title=The Curly Cue |date=November 12, 2006 |first1=Kevin |last1=Sintumuang |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/08/AR2006110801476.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |website=Chocolate Chick in China: The Adventures of an English Teacher in China |date=April 9, 2015 |title=Social Experiment: The Superficiality of the Chinese Culture |url=https://chocolatechickinchina.wordpress.com/2015/04/09/social-experiment-the-superficiality-of-the-chinese-culture/}}</ref>
''Big Hair, Don't Care'', a children's book by Crystal Swain-Bates and Megan Bair, was published by Goldest Karat Publishing in 2013. The book is designed to improve self-esteem and confidence among children with naturally voluminous hair.<ref>{{cite book |title=Big Hair, Don't Care |first1=Crystal |last1=Swain-Bates |first2=Megan |last2=Bair |publisher=Goldest Karat Publishing |date=2013 |isbn=9781939509109 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhftoQEACAAJ}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Afro]]
* [[Beehive (hairstyle)]]
* [[Frizz]]
* [[List of hairstyles]]
* [[Natural hair movement]]
==References==
{{reflist|30em}}
==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [http://www.wtv-zone.com/dpjohnson/beautyandthebouffant 1960s bouffant hairstyles]
{{Human hair}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Hair}}
[[Category:1970s fashion]]
[[Category:1980s fashion]]
[[Category:1990s fashion]]
[[Category:Gothic fashion]]
[[Category:Hairstyles]]
[[Category:Japanese fashion]]