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Undercut (hairstyle)

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Theundercutis a hairstyle that was fashionable from the 1910s to the 1940s, predominantly among men, and saw a steadily growing revival in the 1980s before becoming fully fashionable again in the 2010s. Typically, the hair on the top of the head is long and is often parted on either the side or center, while the back and sides arebuzzedvery shorter or shaved.[1]It is closely related to thecurtained hairof the mid-to-late 1990s, although those with undercuts during the 2010s tended to slick back and top gelled up thebangsaway from the face.

Origins

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Wehrmachtsoldiers with undercuts in 1942

The "undercut" hairstyle can be dated back to the days ofAncient Rome;however, this style shaved the back of the head with long bangs, not the sides. The purpose was to cool the neck and keep the sun out of the eyes, with the neck also shaven while maintaining a pointy beard on the top.[citation needed]Some Norman knight wore a similar style. Ukrainianoseledetsare a variation on this style.

Historically, the undercut has been associated with poverty and inability to afford a barber competent enough to blend in the sides, as on ashort back and sideshaircut. From the turn of the 20th century until the 1920s, the undercut was popular among young working-class men, especially members of street gangs. In interwarGlasgow,theNeds(precursors to theTeddy Boys) favored a haircut that was long on top and cropped at the back and sides. Despite the fire risk, muchparaffin waxwas used to keep the hair in place.[2]Other gangs who favored this haircut were theScuttlersofManchesterand thePeaky BlindersofBirmingham,because longer hair put the wearer at a disadvantage in a street fight.[3]

During thejazz ageof the 1920s and 1930s, hairstyles of this type were considered mainstream fashion.[4]Military barbers of theWorld War Iera gave short back and sides haircuts as fast as possible because of the numbers, under orders to facilitate personal hygiene in trench warfare, and as nearly uniform as possible, with an eye to appearance on parade. This made the short back and sides style the norm in the UK after 1918, and its variant thebrush cutbecame common in North America and France.[5]InNazi Germany,a version of this haircut which was long on top but shaved at the back and sides was popular amongWehrmachtsoldiers.[6][7]The undercut remained common in the UK and America until the 1960s, when longer hair such as thewings haircutwas popularised by themod subcultureandBritish Invasionbands such asThe BeatlesandThe Rolling Stones.

Revival

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Macklemorewith an undercut in 2016

Beginning in the late 1980s, centrally parted undercuts derived from thebowl cutmade a comeback among fans ofnew wave,synthpop,andelectronic musicas an alternative to themulletsandbackcombed hairofglam metalbands.[7]A collar-length version of the bowl cut, known ascurtained hair,went mainstream in the early 1990s and was worn by many celebrities, most notablyTom Cruise.[8]Another variant, with a floppypermedfringe, was known as the "meet me atMcDonald'shaircut "due to its perceived popularity among young teenagers in the UK who socialise in and around McDonald's restaurants.[9]

Curtained hair and undercuts went out of style in the early 2000s, but underwent a revival in the early 2010s amonghipstersandskaterswho imitated the 1930s and 1940s version: longer withpomadein or with the shaved sides and the tops gelled up or swept to one side on top and shaved or clipped at the sides[7]At the time, although the style had many different names, the most controversial were the "Hitler Youth",[1][7][10]"Jugend",[11]and "fasci".[12]Some of the most high-profile early adopters of this haircut includedMacklemore,[13]Kim Jong Un,[14]David Beckham,andWin Butler.[1]

During the late 2000s and early 2010s, undercuts were often associated with villainous movie characters such asHannibal LecterinHannibal Rising,Johnny Depp's portrayal of gangsterJohn DillingerinPublic Enemies,Jared LetoasThe JokerinSuicide Squad,Guy PearceinLawless,and various German officers in war films.[15]Characters from television series such asJimmy Darmodyon HBO'sBoardwalk Empireand various characters from theBBCseriesPeaky Blinderswere also associated with the undercut. By 2014, the haircut had become relatively mainstream in the UK and was worn by people not normally associated with the indie scene, such asreality televisionstars from shows likeThe Only Way Is Essex.[16]

During the late 2010s, the American and Israeli press associated the undercut withalt-rightagitators such as the Americanwhite supremacistRichard Spenceror the British far-right and anti-Islam activistStephen Yaxley-Lennon(Tommy Robinson)[17]and withneofascistsupporters seeking a less intimidating alternative to thebuzzcut.[18][19]

In some Muslim-majority countries such asSaudi Arabia,[20]the undercut is considered controversial and in breach of Islamic teachings governing hairstyles.[21]According to theḤadīthliterature,theIslamic prophetMuhammadforbade traditionalPagan Arabhaircuts that were long on top but shaved on the sides asmakruh.[22][23]

In the early 2020s, the middle parted undercut is coming back due to thee-boysubculture on the social media network TikTok.[citation needed]Although, in the UK, middle parted undercuts (curtains) have been popular in the Irish Traveller community for years.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abcDouglas, Joanna (17 November 2011)."'Hitler Youth' Haircut Gaining Popularity ".Yahoo! Shine.Archivedfrom the original on 2 April 2013.Retrieved8 April2013.
  2. ^Christie, Stuart (2002). My Granny Made Me an Anarchist. Oil & Gas USSR. pp. 87–88.ISBN1-873976-14-3.
  3. ^Davies, Andrew (1998). "Youth gangs, masculinity and violence in late Victorian Manchester and Salford".Journal of Social History.32(2): 349–369.doi:10.1353/jsh/32.2.349.JSTOR3789665.
  4. ^"CFCA - Hitler Youth haircuts becoming very popular in New York City".27 October 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-03-07.Retrieved2018-03-07.
  5. ^"A bloke writes: The barber, my father and a short back and sides | the Independent".Independent.co.uk.8 August 1998.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-06-13.Retrieved2018-06-12.
  6. ^"WWII German haircut".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-07-12.Retrieved2018-07-20.
  7. ^abcdWilliams, Alex (15 November 2011)."A Haircut Returns From the 1930s".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on 8 June 2013.Retrieved8 April2013.
  8. ^"Tom Cruise's Changing Looks".Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-06.Retrieved2015-09-16.
  9. ^"Mcdonalds haircut banned".22 February 2018.Archivedfrom the original on 2018-06-21.Retrieved2018-06-21.
  10. ^Ramshield, Democrats (February 18, 2014)."Comeback of the Hitler Youth haircut worries Jewish and progressive groups fearing intolerance".Archivedfrom the original on October 9, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 16,2015– viaDaily Kos.
  11. ^"'Hitler Youth Hairdo' -Silly Fashion Statement or anti-Semitism? ".21 November 2011.Archivedfrom the original on 2015-05-19.Retrieved2015-09-16.
  12. ^Dvorak, Petula (December 12, 2016)."It's 4 a.m. at MGM. Do you know where your money is?".Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on 2016-12-13.Retrieved2016-12-13.There were a few hipsters with fasci haircuts and ZZ Top beards at the "Walking Dead" slot machines, drinking beers.
  13. ^Thurm, Eric (27 August 2015)."Macklemore is Back, and He Brought an Army of Mopeds".Paper.Archivedfrom the original on 8 October 2015.Retrieved16 September2015.
  14. ^"10 Things You Think Make You Look Cool But Really Don't".Archivedfrom the original on 2015-09-20.Retrieved2015-09-16.
  15. ^"30 Cool and Fantastic Cristiano Ronaldo Haircut Styles".Ringmyfashion. 17 November 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 15 April 2017.Retrieved14 April2017.
  16. ^Dries, Kate (April 14, 2014)."Every Dude You Know Is Getting This Haircut".Archivedfrom the original on September 21, 2015.RetrievedSeptember 16,2015– viaJezebel.
  17. ^Christian, Scott (August 15, 2017)."This Wildly Popular Haircut Has a Serious Neo-Nazi Problem".Esquire.Archivedfrom the original on March 21, 2017.RetrievedMarch 20,2017.
  18. ^Baharir, Ruth Perl (8 February 2017)."From hipster fad to neo-Nazi tagHow America's alt-right got its signature hairstyle".Haaretz.Archivedfrom the original on 21 March 2017.Retrieved20 March2017.
  19. ^Hesse, Monica; Zak, Dan (November 30, 2016)."Does this haircut make me look like a Nazi?".Washington Post.Archivedfrom the original on January 13, 2018.RetrievedJanuary 10,2018.
  20. ^"Saudis arrested for forbidden haircuts".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-05-11.Retrieved2018-05-10.
  21. ^"AGL players told get haircuts or face bans".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-08-13.Retrieved2018-01-21.
  22. ^"Hairstyles forbidden by the Prophet".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-05-11.Retrieved2018-05-10.
  23. ^"Sahih Bukhari Volume 007, Book 072, Hadith Number 803".Archivedfrom the original on 2018-05-11.Retrieved2018-05-10.
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