Tuesday 15 April 2008

Hair Raising Styles!

This week David Mcmahon  asked us "Have we ever had a hairstyle that makes us cringe when we think about it now?" There is a link to "Weekend Wandering"  so that he can check your comments.

Nearly all my hairstyles from the past make me cringe! I think that hairstyles date a person more than anything else, when looking at the family hairdos in photos from the distant past!
I have never been really satisfied with my hair as it is very fine and straight with fly about tendencies as you can see from this recent photo!


Apparently when I was born I had masses of it and it was very black. However this all dropped out early on and became mid brown.
My photos of early years, during or shortly after the war,
revealed short hair cut in a straight bob, with a ribbon tied into bows on either side. Some times there was just one bow and I have school photos where I looked decidedly bedraggled with the bow hanging out. Nowadays, I don't think schools would be so unkind as to take photos of children like that anymore. In fact the photos the children at school have taken these days, usually show them in a very good light, from what I have seen.

Early teenage years shows me with permed hair! Can you imagine it! Crinkly curly hair. I was so into curly hair then and thought I looked brilliant.
Later on, I had a huge pink streak put in my hair. That was during the mid teens. During the sixties, we wore winkle picker shoes and hoops under our skirts and yards of netted, frilly underskirts that we dunked into sugar & water, thinking that it would make them stiffer. This was followed by bouffant hair styles, which were furiously back combed and then smoothed over at the top & lacquered down. Hair used to get split ends during this terrible treatment and had to be a bit longer on top so as to cover all the knots. We used to rock'n'roll into the night & my poor Dad never saw the end of his TV programmes  as he had to take me to different dance halls. Sometimes I came home on motor bikes and there were no crash helmets in those days.
Well, getting back to hairstyles....... when I was a young mother, my hair had grown shoulder length and was coloured bright mahogany red. I used to pin it up into a pony tail and then back comb it into a bun & pin it into shape. I kept this style for quite a long time, as it was neat & tidy. My son, who had started school, by then, came home crying because an other child had told him, "Your mother has a bun on her head." He obviously thought the child meant a currant bun and was most offended!

During the eighties, I wore my hair in an Afro style, tightly permed. This really looked appalling on me, but I thought I looked the cat's whiskers! 
Well, the time slipped by & now my short tresses are silvery & tend to spike up a bit. I don't think many older women can wear their hair long & look stunning! However if this provokes an out rage of ladies who know better, then I shall be very pleased to have caused it and look forward to hearing your opinion on the matter.

This brings me back to which hairstyle was the most awful? Probably a cross between the Afro and the pink streak! Or maybe its the latest one?


32 comments:

Sam said...

Mum, next time you ask me to take a photo of you I shall ask you why first!

The Mighty Sam

lebanesa said...

what a tease! Come on, let's see some pics of those old hairstyles. Have you seen the yesterday pictures blog - it's nearly all old pictures of people's childhoods and youthful years - some of it is a hoot.

Suburbia said...

Good morning Maggie..... don't you just love the school hols, so much more time in the day to blog?!
You sound like you had some great times. Weren't the net petticoats sticky?
I'd like to see the pink streak!

RiverPoet said...

Great post, as always, Maggie!

I wish my hair looked good long, as it used to, but now it just gets bushier and bushier as it grows. I have very thick, coarse, curly hair that was in style for about a week once. I can't seem to make my hair do anything that stylists come up with as "fashionable" so I've quit trying. I have my hair cut rather short now, as I'm trying to cut off all the dyed parts and embrace my silver lining. :-) We'll see how it turns out! Maybe I'll be a trend setter.

Or not.

Peace - D

Milla said...

Good God, you've covered all the bases there from afro to perm! Never had either, although some demon of a hairdresser gave me a vile puffy fluffy ditzy hairdo once which made me sob

Maggie May said...

Frances ..... welcome to my blog! I will have to get onto the yesterday's picture blog. Sounds good!

surburbia ........ yes, it's good to be on holiday though its galloping by extra fast. I need a cleaner! This blogging is "taking me away" from the house work.

Maggie May said...

Momma ..... I also don't bother too much, but must admit the hair WAS ruffed up a bit for the photo! I'm usually neater, though I don't mind everyone having a laugh at my expense! I think every one is too polite to say anything!

Milla ...... yes, it was a long post. You know me, a bit long winded! Once I start I can't shut up!

Stinking Billy said...

maggie, what's all the fuss about. My style never changes, a No. 3 cutter across the top and a No.2 around the back and sides. I am in and out of that chair in 7 or 8 minutes, every five weeks for £4, pus tip, a go. I just don't understand why women have to make such a big deal of it?

Working Mum said...

Great post. I enjoyed imagining the haircuts. I think your latest looks like Zoe Wannamaker (that's a compliment by the way)!

the mother of this lot said...

Seeing as you've now cracked it picture-wise, there's a really easy tag over here for you.

david mcmahon said...

I'd have to say that's great ``tress sense''.

And yes, I enjoyed Sam's comment too.

Signed

The Wizard of Wessex

the mother of this lot said...

Maggie, this is what Cath sent to me. If I can do it, you can do it.

PS - Screenshot - Press 'Print Screen' button on key board (top row to the right). Nothing happens BUT - then open Paint (or Word or something similar) and "paste" without copying anything else (right click and paste or in Paint, go to "Edit" on menu and scroll down to paste) and voila - a shot of your screen and whatever is displayed on it! Save and upload (as an ordinary picture).

Check what's written on your icons etc if you don't want personal names etc out. Change them before your screen shot. Whatever you are looking at on your screen when you press Print Screen will be captured in the shot. You can of course crop it if you wish.

If all else fails, ask Sam!

Laura Jane Williams said...

You look very funky in your photo, Maggie!

Unknown said...

I'm finally happy with my hair style. My hair's straight and fine, too. I remember the perms and the spiky cuts.

Cath said...

Wonderful post Maggie - very descriptive but I think you should brave putting a photo of the Afro up! I can just imagine...

I had some bad ones too. I might post about it in a bit.

Omykiss said...

As you know I've been browsing through some old photographs of mine ... and you're absolutely correct about hairstyles .... althoug I did see some strange fashion statements as well. I can't believe I wore some of these clothes.

Maggie May said...

Stinking Billy ...... Hope you're not suggesting that I use a number 3 on my head!

Working mum....... I wouldn't mind looking like Zoe Wannamaker at all! And we watch her frequently in "My Family"! Thank you!

David ..... Do you mean STRESS sense!
Wizard of Wessex indeed!

Jackie .... not sure if I can do this but will have a go later! Thanks for instructions!

Girl in a mask ..... thanks for that.

Ashley .... its good to be at peace with our hair. Not sure I've got there, yet!

Crazy Cath ..... looking forward to your post!

Omykiss....... Fashion would make another good post, wouldn't it?

Merisi said...

Hi Maggie,

your hair story makes me smile.
My original driver's licence picture amuses my kids to no end, I had just come from the hairdresser's then. I don't even want to try to describe my look, it was so bad. ;-)

I saw your comment on Poetic License, regarding the books not read due to blogging. Same here, my blogging time does carve into my fiction reading time too. C'est la vie! :-)

Mean Mom said...

I think I've seen you around. I'd recognise that hairstyle, anywhere!! (No trying to take that 'friend' award back - I've nailed it on my sidebar!)

Yes, I confess, I've had some awful hairstyles. I did the backcombing thing and had countless perms. I've never had a pink streak, though. Hmmm. There's a thought!

That fan in your photo' would be great for when I am 'hot flushing'. Did you buy it in this country?

Maggie May said...

Merisi ........ I used to get through so many books & was an avid reader. Hope when my blogging calms down that I'll get back to it. Crosswords too!
Oui...c'est la vie!

Mean Mom .... You mean you recognize me!!!!! Yikes!!!
The fan is one of dozens, bought in Japan!

Expat mum said...

Persm Agghhh! I spent the 80's with a long curly perm, sprayed bullet proof and a mile wide. Good grief! Now that straight hair is in, my ever-so-straight hair has developed a slight wave, and not a good one at that!

Expat mum said...

PERMS! Sorry.

aims said...

I have an appointment this afternoon with the hairdresser..not that I'm nervous or anything - ummm - no - but ----

Liz Hinds said...

Yes! I did the perms too. And I cringe mightily when i see the photos. Although, to be fair, as soon as I'd had them done I realised they were a bad idea. So why, one wonders, did I try more than once?

Maggie May said...

expatmum ..... would have loved to see it!

aims ....... maybe you had a pink streak put in?

liz ........ at least you had the common sense to know that it didn't suit you, whereas I thought it did!

Dusty Spider said...

Hiya, I've a different tag for you over at my place. Flick x

Flowerpot said...

Yes more pics please maggie!

Maggie May said...

Dusty ... shall be doing it soon.

Flowerpot ...... a devil for punishment, aren't you!

Anonymous said...

my hair has been allcolours too - the nicest was a red blonde combination and shoulder length I loved it
But as is my style I cut it short and sharp and funky
At the moment my daughter tells me its Sharon Osbourne red and growing again.
I love to mess with the colour and style
Daftest was going blonde the day before my wedding -thank god it looked ok.
Worst look was a perm that made me look like something from Dallas

Anonymous said...

Couldn't believe the similarities we seem to have in hair! Mine is very fine, wispy and straight and a damn nuisance! I've had every style under the sun and most colours too. Now settled on an orangey red which is me to a tee!!

CJ xx

Maggie May said...

Valleysmam ....... was good to hear about your hairstyles!

Crystal jigsaw ......... Does sound like we have had similar hairdos in common!

peter blass said...

I have tried many hairstyles, including long wavy curls, straight hair, and Afro. In the end, I found that the wave head is the best for me. Oh, if the hairstyle is not suitable, I will be in a bad mood.
HairGets' Hair