Mostly women
Styles mostly worn by women. 126 hairstyles on EveryHairstyle so far.
Many hairstyles have been worn mostly by women, often because of rules and customs about how long women's hair should be, how it should be dressed and when it should be covered. Long hair was expected of women in most cultures for most of history, so women's styles include the great updos, braids and set styles, while short cuts for women, such as the bob, became a statement of independence.
Long hair and its dressing
Long plaits, chignons, buns and updos have been women's styles in Europe, Asia and Africa for centuries. Elaborate styles, such as the Manchu liangbatou, the European pouf and the Japanese nihongami, showed status and needed servants or professional hairdressers. Married women in many cultures put their hair up or covered it, so a woman's hairstyle could show whether she was married, as with the Korean chignon fixed with a binyeo.
The short cut
In the 1910s and 1920s young women in Europe and North America cut their hair into bobs and Eton crops, to the alarm of many older people, and short hair became a sign of the modern woman. The pixie of the 1950s and 1960s and Sassoon's geometric bobs continued the change. Many women's styles have since spread to men, and the line between women's and men's hair has blurred.
Famous mostly women hairstyles
Further reading
🇮🇳 IndiaPunjabi paranda
A multicoloured silk braid extension from Punjab.Adorned · Any hair
WorldBraid
Interlaced strands of hair used for style and social signalling.Braid · Any hair
WorldPigtails
Two symmetrical ponytails or braids worn on opposite sides of the head.Ponytail · Any hair
🇬🇧 United KingdomLovelock
A single long braid worn over the left shoulder by 17th-century Europeans.Braid · Any hair · 1580
🇷🇺 RussiaRussian braid
A traditional long plait from Russia with historic marital meanings.Braid · Any hair
🇳🇬 NigeriaKoroba
A Yoruba braid styled like an upside-down basketBraid · Any hair
EuropeRoman hairstyles
Ancient Roman hair fashions reflecting status and identityUpdo · Any hair
🇳🇬 NigeriaShuku
A Yoruba braided updo where hair is gathered into a hump on top of the head.Braid · Any hair
🇪🇹 EthiopiaShuruba
Traditional Ethiopian cornrows and braids worn by women and men.Braid · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaKerala bridal jasmine plait
Long braid wrapped in fresh jasmine garlands for Kerala brides.Braid · Any hair
WorldFishtail braid
A two-strand plait resembling fish bones or a corn stalk.Braid · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaParanda
A colourful woven tassel braided into Punjabi hairAdorned · Any hair
🇮🇳 IndiaPoola Jada
A floral and jewelled adornment for South Indian bridal braids.Adorned · Any hair
WorldPigtails
A hairstyle featuring two symmetrical ponytails or braids on opposite sides of the head.Ponytail · Any hair
🇲🇱 Mali and 1 moreGoffa
Traditional braided style with metal adornments for married women in Mali and Niger.Braid · Any hair
WorldBraids
A hairstyle formed by interlacing three or more strands of hair.Braid · Any hair
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Pigtails: Yogi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
- The Rachel: ABC Television, Public domain, source
- Braid: Ciell, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Beehive: MGM, Public domain, source
- Lovelock: Sir Anthony Van Dyck (1599 - 1641) Details on Google Art Project, Public domain, source
- Liangbatou: Daderot, Public domain, source
- Pigtails: Ykstyyppi123, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Russian braid: Philip Budkin, Public domain, source
- French twist: SWinxy, CC BY 4.0, source
- Pixie cut: dvna creative agency: https://www.dvna.fr/, CC BY 3.0, source
- Chignon: www.GlynLowe.com, CC BY 2.0, source
- Roman hairstyles: Colchester Museums, Caroline McDonald, 2004-06-02 14:47:52, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
- Punjabi paranda: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
- Shingle bob: Evolvingthinker, CC BY 2.0, source
- Braids: Unknown author, Public domain, source