Introducing: The Bob! Trivia Quiz

Answer:

Cutting one's hair short was really never in the thoughts of European and American women before the turn of the twentieth century - unless the person was a working class woman or a lady of the night. Respectable ladies just didn't do it, and those who worked as hairdressers were well taught in the styling of long hair.

The French singer and actress, Polaire (1874-1939), who performed in Paris, London, and New York, used her appearance to gain notoriety. She was known for her wasp waist, with sources claiming that it was no larger than sixteen inches in circumference, and her short bob. It appears that she went out of her way to stand out in a crowd! So did artist Clara Tice, who, according to the "New York Times", was the first American woman to bob her hair in 1908. She was known as the "Queen of Greenwich Village".

Antoni Cierplikowski (1884-1976), known as Monsieur Antoine, was a Polish hairdresser who later opened his salon in Paris; many sources credit him for being the first celebrity hairdresser, as he eventually had clients such as Coco Chanel, Eleanor Roosevelt, and Brigitte Bardot. Even though he said that he used Joan of Arc as his inspiration, no one really knows exactly what she looked like - or how her hair was styled for that matter. It is well known that she cut her black hair short and wore men's clothing. Historians believe that her hair was cut in the male style of her day, which is typically described as a pageboy cut. The main difference between a bob and a pageboy is that the pageboy cut is a bit longer. Nevertheless, Monsieur Antoine is credited with creating the bob cut in 1909.

It took a while for the style to take off. A popular American ballroom dancer, Irene Castle, began styling her hair in a bob sometime around 1915, and her cut became known as the Castle bob. She said it was easier to perform with shorter hair. By the end of World War I, with more women working outside the home, it became fashionable, but not always easy, for women to bob their hair. The main obstacle? Hairdressers knew how to style longer hair, but not how to cut short hair! Many women went to barbers instead!

By the time Monsieur Antoine debuted the shingle bob cut, which was even shorter than his original design, the style was becoming more popular. In the United States, young ladies called flappers shocked everyone with their bobs, short skirts, and seemingly decadent lifestyle, smoking and drinking in public. England's equivalent were female members of the Bloomsbury Set, a group of intellectuals who shunned the Victorian lifestyle and ideals.

The bob became so popular that in 1924 the National Hairdressers' Association in the United States published an advertisement, "If You Must Do It Show This to Your Barber", showing the "12 Classic bobs" of the day. It does appear that the bob worked will with different hair types and facial shapes. Some of the cuts featured fringe, or bangs in U.S. terminology, and were parted on different sides of the head, but they were all similar in length. The new haircut also worked well with the cloche, a bell-shaped hat designed by Caroline Reboux in 1908, although it's sales really didn't soar until the 1920s.

Early American film stars also contributed to the bob's success. Betty Blythe (1883-1972), who became well known as the star of both silent films and sound films, said, "I felt five years younger when I bobbed mine. In Paris I shopped for hats, but found none for sale for women with long hair....It makes me feel youthful". Bebe Daniels (1901-1971), who is featured in the cover photo, did bob her hair, but ultimately chose to keep it longer because she didn't like to wear wigs in her many roles that called for longer hair. Her opinion was straightforward, "As for becoming 'bald' because of bobbing, I think that's what they call 'bunk'". Of course, there were always those 'horse and buggies' who preferred the old fashioned longer hair, and warned of impending doom if the hair was cut. Stories circulated that told of bobbed hair leading to divorce, and worse, a husband shooting himself over his wife's decision to bob her hair! Over the centuries, many new styles have been met with opposition, however, the bob was here to stay!