Then AND Now: Braid Parade

The braid is back and better than ever, or at least we think so. The braid's popularity may have resurged in the United States, but never actually went away. 

Although braids are a hot fashion trend as of late in the U.S. , hair braiding is an ancient art, dating as far back as the time of ancient Egyptians in 4000 BC, and is still a popular style in many parts of the world. Both men and women of many cultures have embraced this beautiful art, creating color and style beyond our ancestors wildest dreams.

Here is an ancient Egyptian artifact of an Egyptian man and woman depicted to have braided hair, circa 1500 BC.

The symbolic roots of hair braiding are said to have begun in West Africa,  inspired by agricultural practices. Just as ancient African field workers and farmers used landscaping tools to make rows in the soil, sowed the crops by hand, and fertilize the land, they used combs to part their hair, oil to tame it, and plaited their hair by hand. Because braiding hair was so parallel to farming, the style was dubbed "corn rows." which is still used today. 

Braiding is also traditionally a social art; while women braided or had their hair braided, they would engage in conversation. Also, certain and often complex designs signified social status, age group and village a person has come from. The most elaborate braiding was seen as a privilege, and worn by married women of the tribe. The hair of these women were typically braided up into styles of butterfly wings or plaits, as pictured here.

Another culture that sported braids regularly were American Indians, better known in our society as Native Americans. We do not know how far back this practice dates, but upon my research, I found that braids were very popular among men and women, from children to adults, of many tribes, including the Cayuse, Hopi, and Navajo. For American Indians, hair was and still is strength and power, which is why men and women grow it to be very long, even into old age. Braiding hair was a way of keeping your hair out of your face without cutting it.

For some groups of people, braiding has become a way of life; it is a way of expressing oneself, and after a while, becomes a big part of one's identity. For example, the Hip Hop industry took hair braiding  to a whole new level of popularity and style in the early 90s, so much so that it became an identifier for nearly all hip hop and rap artists.  

Alicia Keys

Ludacris

Snoop Dogg

Braids werealso a large identifier for European cultures. The French adopted it from the African and American Indian cultures, putting their own twist on it by starting near the crown of the head and gradually adding more hair to each section as it crosses in from the side into the center of the braid structure. The final result incorporates all of the hair into a smoothly woven pattern over the scalp. The term "french braid" first appeared in writings in the late 19th century, though the style is said to have began centuries before.

Here is a modern, loosely plaited variation of the french braid that I did on my roommate Hilary Taylor. This style is commonly worn today.

Here is an example of two french braids, mostly worn by young female children in today's society.

Then: Mullet Over

July 13, 1985- The Live Aid Concert benefiting the famine of Ethiopia took place, simultaneously in London and Philadelphia. To this day, it is one of the most memorable and historical musical performances of the century. Artists such as Queen, David Bowie, Bob Dylan, and Mick Jagger put on a show that is still discussed and referenced today. The main purpose of the concert was to raise funds for relief, but one thing the audience- goers took away from the concert, whether consciously or subconsciously, planned or unplanned, was, yes the hair.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVj7J-78Gu8&feature=related <-- Click here to see U2 performing "Sunday Bloody Sunday" at Live Aid 1985. Below is a picture of during the performance.

A little band we like to call U2 was still on the rise at this time. Bono, the lead singer of the group, sported a hairstyle that had been around here and there, but once he stepped on that stage, it became an iconic trend of the 80s; It's a hairstyle we love to hate on, best described by Joe Dirt as "business in the front, party in the back"- you know what i'm talking about- the mullet.

Though U2's performance at Live Aid is the most widely credited instance of making the mullet popular, this style started long before that, being said to date as far back as the Classical Period. According to ancient documents, Roman emperor Nero may have at one time adopted a hairstyle that resembled a mullet. After that, our first introduction to the mullet was in the early 1970s by Paul McCartney and David Bowie. Below are photos displaying each icon's rendition of the hairdo.

Post 80s, the mullet movement was still going strong. In the mid to late 1990s, the trend of having the "tail" of the mullet  "permed" with loose or tight curls came into play, adding yet another option of how to work the hairstyle. Also,some mullet-rockers began to grown the tail end very long down the back. Mario Lopez, Billy Ray Cyrus, and John Stamos show us how to properly mullet 90s style.

Circa the 2000s and 2010s, the style's popularity increasingly waned, but makes for great jokes, icebreakers, and reminiscing experiences.Will it be back with a modern twist? With other hairstyles of the past, this proves to be so, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. 

Now: Yay for Ombre

June 6, 2011- Lauren Conrad appeared on the Chelsea Lately Show, and the world stopped- the world of fashion, beauty, and all that is trendy, that is.

The reality star talked about her growing empire, including her upcoming book, but she could have been speaking gibberish in a convincing tone and no one would have cared, because the focus was solely and completely on her gorgeous hair.

This trend, called "ombre hair",  or "ombre-ing," grew slowly but surely, and is now well-known by anyone who has an inkling of what's going on in the outside world. The fun, French word can be defined as “having colors or tones that shade into each other…in which the color is graduated from light to dark” according to the ever dependable Merriam-Webster dictionary. Although this can be done, the reverse is more common, with and hair color fading from dark to light. Lauren Conrad, or "LC" as we used to call her back in the good old  Laguna Beach days, is not the only one known to sport this style. Other celebrities such as Khloe Kardashian, Leighton Meester, Miley Cyrus, and many others have joined the movement.

Don’t be fooled: growing your hair out and having a severe line separating your natural colored roots and formerly colored hair is not to be confused with the term. The color should look as though it slowly faded and look natural, otherwise it just ends up looking tacky. Celebrities Ciara, Jessica Alba, and Drew Barrymore demonstrate how not to ombre.

As Chelsea Handler so eloquently put, “I wouldn’t have to get my roots done so often,” and she speaks the truth. One of the many benefits of this trend as well as a big reason why this style is chosen is because it is a more natural take on highlighting, and usually requires less dye or chemicals.

It's been almost a year and a half since Lauren Conrad made her appearance on Chelsea Lately, and the ombrevolution is still going strong, with the likelihood of disappearing anytime soon as slim to none.

Thank you for reading my blog. My posts will usually include some humor and pop culture. Please feel free to comment and discuss!