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We've discussed the 70s, but as one of those old enough to remember, was there any long hair about in the 60s or earlier?
The Beatles had 'long hair' in the 60s, but the 'Beatle Haircut' was only the same short back and sides with one inch long bangs (or a short fringe as we'd say in the UK).
The only other distinctive group I remember from that period was the Teds, and their style wasn't long.
So, were there any longhairs in those days, or just a lot of frustrated wouldbe longhairs?
By the end of the 60s there was some really nice long hair.
I remember there was a group called the Pretty Things who had very long hair. Also P.J.Proby, famous for splitting his trousers on stage, had a pigtail if I remember rightly. In those days the staid older generation simply couldn't handle the concept of long 'hippie' hair. Even girls with long hair risked provoking disapproval from the 60+ age group. Words such as.. disgrace, slovenly, disrespectful etc etc were often employed.
Cheers, Barry
Hi -
Because of being so young then, I only can shed a light of the "random images" I remember from this period. The Beatles were despised by our parents and said to look like girls. (To me it was the longest hair I had ever seen on a man on Television.) Most of our haircuts were done something like every 2 weeks.........BUZZED! Among the adults there were one of two things: Buzzed, or "The Bankers Haircut." In school however, guys started trying to look like the Beatles and a "dress-code" was quickly put on the books. NO HAIR LONGER THAN 1-1/2" ALLOWED OR SUSPENSION FROM SCHOOL WILL BE MET WITH. (Actually, I think this rather propelled among the young at the time the want to grow it even more.) By the end of the 60's there were LOADS of guys with hair much longer than the Beatles had. They were labled "Beatnicks" by the adults, and I think by then "Hippie" became part of the vocabulary. I suffered a blow when very young in school because I voiced my opinion that I didn't think Abraham Lincoln (We were studying the Cival War) looked like a "girl" at all, and HE had "Long Hair!" The teacher was furious with my remark and I was sent to the office to be punished for "being fresh" and made to write 100 times:"Boys are not allowed to have Long Hair." But, that wasn't enough........my parents were called because of the "trouble(?)" I had caused, and back in those days you got spanked but good! And was that enough? No. The school kept me for 1 week after classes in a dentention room with just a blank wall to stare at. I am so happy times are no longer quite that severe about the freedom to express ones individuality.
I started growing my hair in the 60s (around 64), by the
time the 70s came it was waist length.
I was one of the first to grow their hair long, got in
lots of trouble for it in school.
When the Beatles had long hair in 64 it was relatively short.
By the time the end of the 60s came long hair was much
longer, go on Google and do a search for the Beatles and
see how long their hair was towards the end. (One thing the
Beatle members did was cut their hair to "break away" from the
Beatles who they felt were "too big.")
It was a great time to be a long hair.
Actually, for all intents and purposes it has *ALWAYS* been present on kids in Hollywood.
Back in the 20's, Jackie Coogan was so famous for his Dutch boy haircut (his brother had one, too, but wasn't as well known) that they actually shot a film around the event of his going to a shorter haircut.
The Dead End Kids (known as tough guys - and not just on screen!) had Bobby Jordon among their number. His hair covered his ears and would easily reach his chin. Even when he went shorter on the sides and back, the top was usually long enough to reach his mouth.
In fact, the long on top (and longer than it looked on the sides - amazing what slicking it back would do) was almost a staple. Think Frakie Darro (another tough kid), and even - after he reached his teen years - Johnny Crawford of the Rifleman. Elvis Presley was '50s, and his hair certainly wasn't short. These are just a few examples, if I thought about it, I could probably give you a list as long as your arm.
Personally, I'd have to ask when it WASN't present?