Those Damn Hippies

The Farm Band, circa 1978 [Photo David Frohman]

Many believe the 20th century “norm” among American men of being clean-shaven with short hair was mostly due to grooming standards set by the military during two world wars.

1) An effective seal for gas masks cannot be achieved with a bearded face.

2) The fitting of steel helmets was made easier by requiring recruits to keep their hair short-cropped or nearly shaven.

3) Short hair and the absence of beards and moustaches was believed to be more hygenic, offering less scope for lice infestations.

4) Officers prefer uniformity among rank and file soldiers. Distinctive hair, beard & moustache styles are construed as a sign of individuality which could be a precursor to insubordination.

So between 1914 and the 1940s, short hair and a clean-shaven face became the look of “brave soldiers”, and by extension, “manliness”.

The flamboyant pompadours and ducktails of the 1950s were seen by conformists as the preserve of flippant and self-regarding peacocks, while the long hair of the 1960s was seen by most sections of mainstream society as an out and out challenge to the status quo, and a symbol of youth rebellion and drug culture.

Before the age of gas masks and steel helmets, long hair was seen as “dashing”, especially among cavalrymen during the American Civil War and subsequent Indian Wars in the so-called “Wild West”.  George Armstrong Custer was noted by contemporaries as being particularly vain about his golden tresses.

We are truly a product of our times.

#history #hippies #fashion #war #beforewewerewhite