Bad hair day or personal statement?

by chuckofish

Hairdo fashions come and go, and they are often quite terrible, but the recent (re)-emergence of the man bun invites comment. Thankfully, the style has not been widely adopted, though one does come across it. In fact, a recent visitor to my north country campus looked a lot like this man:

In a job applicant, the look felt a little aggressive, but he was a nice guy.  I find it difficult to interpret hair these days, since I gather that each detail sends a message to those in the know. It’s all about personal expression, right? Four thousand years ago the man bun signaled kingly power.

Sargon or Naram-Sin of Akkad (3rd millennium BC)

Japanese samurai sported a similar look, but with the added nuance of the shaved forehead.

One recognizes a certain practicality in the style. For the warrior or athlete, long locks can be dangerous. An opponent can grab loose hair and it can obstruct one’s view. The top-knot offers a practical solution to the problem for Welsh soccer star Gareth Bale.

Hair-styling and personal adornment have played important roles throughout history, and the media has misrepresented just about all of them. Remember Richard Basehart’s outstanding hair in Kings of the Sun?

I crown thee, King Bad-hair Shorty-shirt!

That is one mighty man-bun wig, and it’s gray, so we know that the character is wise. That hair added a certain je ne sais quoi to the film, but left leading man Yul Brynner wondering why he didn’t get an elaborate up-do.

where’s my big hair?

At least those designers attempted period accuracy (as they understood it anyway). Nowadays, they just do whatever they think looks cool, with quite outrageous results. Do they really think the Vikings looked like this?

Weren’t Vikings scary enough without the pseudo-Dreadlocks, shaved sides, and head tattoos? Apparently historical accuracy should not intrude on our entertainment.

The lesson in all of this? Don’t take personal  grooming too far. Keep the hair simple and classic, gentlemen. Let your good looks and personality shine for themselves. And keep laughing!

Just in case anyone wonders, this post evolved from my reaction to a photo I came across of a young Daniel Craig sporting a period hairdo in the 1996 Moll Flanders mini series.

Words fail me.

One thing led to another, and presto, here we are discussing bad hair.

*all photos found on Google image.