Hollywood
was a huge inspiration during the Forties for women's hairstyles.
Veronica Lake was famous for her blonde hair, seductively
trailing down across one eye. During the Second World War,
many women who copied her were working on wartime production
lines and were getting their hair caught in the machinery.
The United States government made a plea to Paramount Pictures
to change her style. The movie Gone With The Wind inspired
a new look for women's hair. The hair was pulled back and
contained in a woven net called a snood.
Haircolor was still a very precarious adventure. Peroxide
was mixed with ammonia, and Ivory soap flakes were added to
make a paste. The hair often wound up on the beauty salon
floor.
The 1940s was a time of glamour. False eyelashes, bright red
lipstick, penciled eyebrows, and hair either curled or styled
up was popular. The "Pin Up" girl emerged, both
in drawings by Vargas and the famous photographer Bernard
of Hollywood. |
