During the early 1920’s there began a transition from the long-hair styles of the previous decades to the newer short-hair styles like the bob. While bobbed hairstyles of the early 1920’s were very plain, they were transformed with beautiful curls and waves by the late 1920’s into stylish and feminine bobs that endured into the 1930’s. Due to their increasing sophistication, bobbed hairstyles increased in popularity through the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. Many of the popular and attractive shorter womens hairstyles from the 20’s and 30’s are currently experiencing a modern day revival as hair stylists go back in time seeking fresh ideas and inspiration from the beautiful short hairstyles of this trend setting era.
Hairstyles like the Bob, finger wave, Marcel wave, and shingle were the most popular hairstyles of the 1920’s with numerous variations of each. Hairstyles like the Eton Crop were temporary phenomenons that disappeared as fast as they arrived. Barbers and hairdressers competed with each other to get business from women seeking to shed their long hair and obtain the latest hair fashions.
As early adopters of the new shorter hair styles, 1920’s movie stars and other celebrities played a big part in popularizing the new hair fashions through appearances in movies and stage shows, the new hairstyles they sported being eagerly copied by their adoring fans. Despite the high cost involved initially there was a very high uptake of permanent waving when it became available to women everywhere.
In the 1920’s short hair for women was “in” and rapidly took over from the previously fashionable long hair styles. Although considered extremely radical in the early 1920’s, bobbed hair quickly became the “must have” hairstyle for young girls and young ladies aged in their twenties, the popularity extending to middle-aged women in their thirties and forties. Sophisticated cuts including shingling were used to create attractive bobs that featured waves and curls to soften and enhance the styling. These later stylish bobs continued to be popular well into the 1930’s defying hairdressing critics who had predicted the bob would be a short-term fad that would only last a year or two at most. As it turned out, the huge popularity of bobbed hairstyles for women became a major revolution in womens hairstyling.