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EveryHairstyle

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

Shingle bobThe modern woman's cut of the 1920sBeehiveThe tall updo of the 1960sChignonA classic low knotPixie cutA very short cropVictory rollsVictory rollsWartime set styles of the 1940sFrench twistA vertical rollThe RachelThe layered cut of the 1990sLiangbatouHeaddress of Manchu women

Further reading

KindCutBraidUpdoPonytailLocsNaturalCurlsShavedFringeStyledWrappedAdorned
Hair typeStraight hairWavy hairCurly hairCoily and kinky hairFine hairThick hairAny hair
OrderBest knownA to ZOldest firstNewest firstBy length
Hwagwan 🇰🇷 South KoreaHwagwan Elaborate Korean ceremonial coronet for womenWrapped · Any hair 🇺🇸 United StatesTignon A wrapped cloth headdress worn by Creole women in Louisiana.Wrapped · Any hair · 1786 🇮🇳 IndiaGhoonghat A headscarf worn by married women in parts of India to cover the face.Wrapped · Any hair 🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreChristian head covering A cloth veil worn by Christian women for modesty and worship.Wrapped · Any hair 🇻🇳 VietnamKhăn vấn A traditional Vietnamese head wrap coiled tightly around the hair.Wrapped · Any hair · 1744 🇰🇷 South KoreaJokduri A traditional Korean silk coronet worn by women for weddings and formal events.Wrapped · Any hair 🇬🇧 United KingdomSnood A net or cloth bag that holds hair at the back of the head.Wrapped · Any hair · 1590 WorldHeadscarf A triangular or square cloth folded to cover the hair and head while leaving the face visible.Wrapped · Any hair 🇺🇦 UkraineUkrainian wreath Traditional floral headdress for Ukrainian girls and unmarried womenWrapped · Any hair 🇮🇳 India and 3 moreDastar A turban worn by Sikhs to cover uncut hair and signify faith.Wrapped · Any hair · 1699 🇰🇷 South KoreaGache A heavy traditional Korean wig worn by high-status women and kisaeng.Wrapped · Any hair · 1788 Historical Christian hairstyle WorldHistorical Christian hairstyles A survey of hair practices in Christianity from antiquity to the early modern period.Shaved · Any hair 🇬🇷 GreeceGreco-Roman hairstyles Hair practices of ancient Greece and Rome, including long locks, short crops, and net head-dresses.Wrapped · Any hair 🇮🇱 IsraelJewish headcovering A religious practice requiring married Orthodox Jewish women to cover their hair in public.Wrapped · Any hair 🇪🇬 Egypt and 4 moreWig Artificial head covering made from human, animal or synthetic hair.Wrapped · Any hair

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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