The Most Iconic Hairstyles of the Last 100 Years

Let’s talk about the most iconic hairstyles of the past 100 years. 

If you take a snapshot of any point in history, the odds are that people thought they had the best hairstyles ever to exist. Nowadays, when we look back at some of the hairstyles in the past, we thank the good lord that we didn’t live in that time period.

I, personally,  love all the different hairstyles from the different eras, and think they are all unique in their own ways. It’s crazy interesting to see how everything has evolved throughout the years.

So without further ado, I present to you: decade, by decade, the most iconic hairstyles of the past 100 years!

💡TIP: Pin this article to your Hairstyles board so you can always come back to it later!

The 1910’s: Wide Brimmed Hats

In the 1910’s, sizeable wide brim hats that cover some of the face were extremely popular, especially in the earlier parts of the decade. Through the latter part of the decade, smaller hats with flat brims became popular.

Short bobs along with fake long hair (wigs, extensions, etc.) were also quite fashionable.

The 1920’s: Flapper Hair

This era was later nicknamed the “roaring twenties” and for a good reason. Flappers became popular in the twenties, and it became quite fashionable for women to look more masculine.

This has a lot to do with the women’s rights movement that took place in the twenties. Women cut their hair short, flattened their chests and redefined what women should do.

Flappers were known to bare skin, dance in jazz clubs all night, drink and smoke cigarettes, which were all very provocative in that time. They were so empowering that they also created one of the most iconic hairstyles of all time.

The 1930’s: Finger Waves

I will admit that when I was in beauty school, I promised myself that I would never love finger waves. We had to perform this style on our doll heads once a month and sometimes more often.

I had an elderly teacher named Norma Jean, who was really good at finger waves, and she would make me redo them over and over again until they were perfect. On a side note, a clever way to make them hold is to put shampoo in the hair, instead of gel, and allow it to dry.

These days I love finger waves and think they are classy and elegant. I love seeing the celebrities in Hollywood wearing them to big events. In the 1930’s, this trend carried over from the 20’s.

However, when the great depression started to hit, women began dressing more feminine again. It became more common to see finger waves on longer hair than short flapper bobs.

The 1940’s: Victory Rolls

Victory rolls became very popular in the 1940’s. The 40’s were about looking elegant, yet practical. Longer hair and soft curls grew popular.

After WWII, there was a shortage of metal, so women began using pipe cleaners to curl their hair.

The name “victory rolls” is said to have come from one of three things (although no one knows for sure):

• The first theory comes from the fact that everything felt so empowering for women then. While the war was going on, women worked outside of their home to help the men at war. In 1945, the war ended, and the men came home. It meant victory for the women.
• The second theory is that the rolls look like a V when pinned up correctly. V for victory.
• The third theory is that it was named after a maneuver that the planes did in the war.

Wherever it came from, we know that it was directly connected to the war and is still associated with the pin-up girl style today.

The 1950’s: Glamorous Hair

It’s pretty hard to distinguish one particular hairstyle that was popular during the 1950’s. This was the heyday for some of the most iconic celebrities like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Elizabeth Taylor, to name a few.

How do you pick just one, when there were so many great hairstyles? All we know is that this decade was entirely about glamour and it set the stage for glamorous looks since then.

The 1960’s: Hippie Hair and The Jackie O ‘S’ Bouffant

When I think about the ’60’s, hippies are the first thing to come to mind. Thanks to the Beatles, it became quite popular for not only the women to have long, natural hair, but also for the men to grow out their locks.

Hippies were about being who they are and embracing their naturalness, which means they usually didn’t do much to their hair. They just grew it out and wore a headband or bandana. None the less, it’s an iconic look of that decade.

On the far other side of the spectrum was Jackie Kennedy, who brought the S-bouffant to the table.

Besides being known as the first lady to President Kennedy, Jackie O was also a huge fashion icon. She was elegant, super fashionable and introduced many other trends like the pillbox hat.

1970’s: Disco Fever

Everything was all about disco in the ‘70’s , and people were all about the polyester and bell-bottoms. The hairstyle of choice for disco queens? Farrah Fawcett hair.

To this day, I still get people in my chair that ask for this look. It was the look that defined the 70’s.

1980’s: Madonna Hair

When Madonna first hit the scene in the 80’s, she was basically like the Lady Gaga of that generation. She did so many things that were unseen before her (can we say pointy bra?), and that quickly drew a lot of attention to her.

It wasn’t long before everyone had bad perms and hair that was back-combed straight up.

1990’s: The Jennifer Aniston Face Frame

I totally remember that as soon as Ms. Aniston appeared on the scene with “Friends,” everybody wanted their hair to look like exactly like hers. In fact, my mom used to request that my hair would be cut like hers.

Face-framing layers are still quite popular today; they are incredibly flattering to anyone’s face shape.

2000’s: Wavy Extensions, and Flat Hair

Almost back to our comfort zone. I chose Britney and Christina to represent the early 2000’s since they were among the most iconic people of that decade.

Wavy hair extensions and flat-ironed hair are the two most common hairstyles that rocked that decade.

The 2010’s: Buns and Braids

At the dawn of the Pinterest/Youtube Tutorial era, came millions of tutorials showing you how to do any type of braid possible. Soon, braids became incorporated into every type of hairstyle and were pretty standard to everyday life.

Similarly, different types of buns hit the scene. Messy buns, formal buns, low buns, high buns. The possibilities are endless. It was not uncommon to see buns and braids mixed into the same hairstyle.

Your Turn:  Did you enjoy this post? I’ll love you forever if you share it with your friends on your favorite social media website!

Are there any iconic hairstyles that I missed? Which of these is your favorite look? I’d love to read your feedback in the comments section below…