The 1940s

Hi there and welcome back to my blog! This week we are going to be researching into the 1940s.

Figure 1: Rosie the Riveter (Cokely, n.d.).

Britain became the first nation in history to allow women into the armed forces as the government announced in December 1941 that women were to contribute to war efforts. Both men and women up to the age of 60 were required to work. Some women took on traditional 'men's jobs', which meant appropriate dress and management of hair was needed in accordance to their new job roles, but they still managed to keep it fashionable and stylish. Women who worked in factories often wore scarves, hats and up-dos because any loose hair was at huge risk of being pulled out or damaged. Turban style scarves were very popular amongst women due to the well-known icon 'Rosie the Riveter' (Figure 1) wearing this in the very famous motivational poster, that still to this day is used and known as a symbol of feminism and female empowerment (Davies, 2014).

Figure 2: Betty Grable (HIJ, 2019)

Women in uniform needed hairstyles to be shorter and above the collar, whilst still remaining feminine. Victory rolls (Figure 2) were often worn by women as it allowed for the hair to be worn up and out of the face, whilst still being fashionable. Gibson rolls (Figure 3) were usually rolled towards the back of the head, which meant hats and caps could be worn with ease, whilst the hair got tucked away (Davies, 2014).

Figure 3: Gibson Roll (McGlinchey, n.d.).

Figure 4: Boy in Striped Pyjamas (IMDb, n.d.).

Women found makeup in wartime crucial as this was important to lift morale. Women simply needed a powder compact and red lipstick to show her power and courage. Max Factor would send female factory workers free samples of moisturiser to help with the yellowing of their skin from all the chemicals in the factories (McGlinchey, n.d.).

Figure 4 (left) shows an industry standard 1940s hairstyle. The image is of the mother from 'The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas' which was set in the time of WWII. The mother in this scene is wearing a Gibson roll. It is tightly rolled and smooth with no flyaways sticking out.

Another industry standard example of the 1940s hairstyles is shown in Figure 5 (below). This shows 4 women from the series 'Land Girls'. The women are seen wearing various different hairstyles: short, long, curly, victory rolls, scarves. The victory rolls in the image are very smooth and tight, again with no flyaways and loose parts.

Figure 5: Land Girls (BBC, n.d.).

Figures 6, 7 & 8: 1940s Set Images (O'Connor, 2021).

The figures above show the roller set created for the 1940s hairstyle. The rollers are directional with a very deep side parting. The rollers at the nape of the neck are rolled upwards as this is where the Gibson roll is going to be. The roller set has not been done to the best standard it could have been because the rollers at the back of the head are rather messy and were too thick.

Figures 9, 10 & 11: 1940s Style Images (O'Connor, 2021).

The final dressed out hairstyle is pictured above in Figures 9, 10 & 11. It includes a Gibson roll as well as two victory rolls and a nice wave. The Gibson roll is almost up to industry standard as it is very smooth and is rolled tightly. There are just a few stray hairs poking out, but this is due to the wig having lots of flyaways. Hairspray should be used to flatten down any hairs and, using a tail comb, poke the hairs down into the wig. The side parting meant that a nice wave where the fringe would be was formed. The victory rolls need work because they are not very neat. Because a deep side parting was done, the victory rolls ended up being uneven because there was not the same amount of hair on each side.

Figure 12: 1940s Makeup Image (O'Connor, 2021).

Figure 12 (left) shows the makeup that was completed to match this period hairstyle. The makeup represents the decade extremely well because it features the bold red lip, that symbolises defiance and courage. The eye makeup is minimal due to the lipstick being the main attraction of the face.

The wig does not fit the model's head very well; it is too small so the model's hair line can be seen which is very distracting because the dark hair contrasts against the blonde wig. Wigs.com (n.d.) say that the wig is too small if it reveals the hairline, which this wig does. A better fitting wig would have been chosen, but the university equipment was used so there was not a lot of choice. If this was to be done in industry, depending on the budget, a wig would have been made specifically for the model, using their measurements. To improve the final image, coloured hairspray could have been used to try and hide/disguise the model's roots. Märtens (2015) says that even coloured eyebrow gel could have been used to disguise the roots by brushing the gel into the hairline. Even though the wig is a little too small, it doesn't take away from the overall effect of the image. It is very representative of the decade and has been completed to a good standard.

Thank you for reading this weeks blog. Final images of the wig applied on a model can be found in the Period Hairdressing Portfolio section of the website.

Next week we will be looking at the 1950s!

See you then:)

Alysha

Reference List:

BBC. (n.d.) Land Girls [Online]. Available at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00mrg41 (Accessed 17th January 2022).

Cokely, C. (n.d.) Rosie the Riveter [Online]. Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rosie-the-Riveter(Accessed 17th January 2022).

Davies, B. (2014) Vintage Hair Styles of the 1940s, Wiltshire, The Crowood Press Ltd.

HIJ. (2019) Victory Rolls Through the Years - The 1940s Style that Lives On [Online]. Available at: https://www.hji.co.uk/hair-trends/victory-rolls-1940s-style/ (Accessed 17th January 2022).

IMDb. (n.d.) The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008) [Online]. Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914798/ (Accessed 17th January 2022).

Märtens, A. (2015) 10-Minute Hairstyles, Darling Kindersley Limited.

McGlinchey, S. (n.d.) History of 1940s Fashion [Online]. Available at: https://glamourdaze.com/history-of-womens-fashion/1940-to-1949 (Accessed 17th January 2022).

O'Connor, A. (2021) 1940s Makeup Image [Own Image]. York College, York.

O'Connor, A. (2021) 1940s Set Images [Own Images]. York College, York.

O'Connor, A. (2021) 1940s Style Images [Own Images]. York College, York.