In many of my classes, I bring up Amy Winehouse.  We talk about her music, tattoos, and hair.  Among many things, she’s famous for bringing back the sixties style Beehive hairdo.  She once said, “The more insecure I feel, the bigger my hair has to be.”  In her sixties research essay, Llovana explored the history behind the beehive.  She explains the time and effort required to achieve the look. She researched Amy’s inspiration, Ronnie Spector.  She discussed the style of Beyonce.   Llovana doesn’t plan herself  to wear the Beehive any time soon, but her research is BIG.

 

Llovana Julian

Professor Lewenstein

English 61

31 October 2017

Fifty Years of Beehive

In the 1960s, fashion was a great deal due to all the contemporary trends that had emerged in the community. Both men and women had new styles and brands to choose from. It went from skirts to pants, from swimwear to one-piece suits. It was a modern age, with lots of pop art culture to be seen. The clothing was very colorful, with many designs and different fabric being used. The 60s were a time of new that would change society for good.

The Beehive was a hairdo that became a trending sensation in the mid-sixties. Women from all over the country would adopt some type of beehive look. They would need to put lots of effort, because it took more than thirty minutes to have it in place. In the article “Beehive tops harebrained fashions,” it says “The Beehive and the stiletto, in their own way, are both articles of the utter discomfort. With the hairdo, it has to be tortured and shellacked into place.” According to the writer Shelly Page, the women would go through so much just to have their hairstyle stay in place, even if it was uncomfortable. They would rather be in style than out of style. In other words, they all wanted to fit in.

In “Beehive tops harebrained fashion: Towering hairdo, spike heels lead ‘honour roll’ of the most unrealistic style trends,” we learn that women would have to go to a hair salon every week and spend a lot of time there. It was hard to fit the hairstyle in a car, without slouching or tilting the head. Many ladies, put other stuff in their hair, just to keep the Beehive in place. Women with long faces, would have a tough time trying to look good in this hairdo. The Beehive required a lot of time and maintenance because it was to last for a whole week. In addition, it was hard to fit in certain spot because the hairdo was too tall. Many women would put other sticky stuff, including sweets, on their hair to keep it in place. This lead to horror stories of women who died because animals or insects would eat the top part of their heads. Instead of celebrating the Beehive, the author mentions how the Beehive was too hard to maintain. It explained the negatives of the hairdo, and not so much on how it came to be so popular. Yet, it said that women kept the hairstyle moving forward and making their hair taller.

The article “Twiggy Fashion 1960s,” describes how Twiggy was a fashion trendsetter and a model. She wasn’t a model for the Beehive innovation. However, she changed the fashion norms into something completely new and exciting, and became a fashion icon doing so. One of her best styles was the shift dress, because of her incredibly slim body. Her body is what got her the nickname Twiggy, as in twig. Her fashion trends have also inspired many of today’s trends, and has let other women express themselves in their own way. I see it a lot on social media, weather it is on clothes or makeup. Twiggy was hired to be a model in 1966 at the age of 16. After becoming a successful model, she later became an actress and singer and won several awards. She achieved so much in such a brief time, and at a very young age. Her parents must have been extremely proud of her. In the article, it explains that, “Twiggy, an extremely successful model in the 60s, was more than just a magazine maven: she was a trendsetter, a daring dresser, and an icon in her own right.” Indeed, she was. Her sense of fashion still lives on today and possibly the future in the fashion industry. She will keep inspiring other future trendsetters to strive in fashion, just like she did.

Many trends from the 1960s can still be seen today. This is because many of the styles have marked history like never before. One huge style that is still seen today is the famous, Beehive hairdo. The celebrity seen with this up lifting hairstyle is none other than Beyonce. In the 60s, Ronnie Spector could be seen with this hairdo as well. Of course, over time the Beehive has changed because of fashionable reasons. Ronnie’s version of the Beehive was much bigger than Beyonce’s. Unlike Spector’s version, Beyonce’s Beehive hairdo is smaller and styled differently; in other words, it’s much smoother. Although the Beehive hairdo has changed, it will always be the Beehive.

As time passes so does fashion, but innovative ideas are created with previous inventions. Just as fashion has set aside current ideas, it has also helped to improve certain styles to make them look like something new. The 1960s fashion is a very inspirational for many of today’s fashion attire, and for the future to come. Life as we know it, wouldn’t be the same without fashion to distinguish all the historical moments. As history changes so does the way we look, and fashion is a part of history too.

 Work Cited

Varga, George. “Ronnie Spector: A hair-rising life.” The San Diego Union-Tribune.The San Diego Union-Tribune. 27 June 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2017. http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/sdut-ronnie-spector-interview-2014jun27-story.html

Swayer, Mei. “Twiggy Fashion 1960s.” I vetoknow. I vetoknow. n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2017 http://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/Twiggy_Fashion_1960s

Lobenthal, Joel. “Hippie Style.” I vetoknow. I vetoknow. n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2017 http://womens-fashion.lovetoknow.com/1960s_Hippie_Fashion

Page, Shelly. “Beehive tops harebrained fashions: Towering hairdo, spike heels lead ‘honour roll’ of the most unrealistic style trends.” The Ottawa Citizen; Ottawa, Ont. A5. 06 Jan. 1999. ProQuest. Web. 20 Sept. 2017. https://search.proquest.com/docview/240222760/fulltext/8E38A46A03A34ABFPQ/6?accountid=42321

Parks, Chanel. “The Miniskirt: An Evolution From The ‘60s To Now.” HuffPost. HuffPost. 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 21 Sept. 2015.  https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/23/mini-skirt-evolution_n_6894040.html