Iconic Hairstyles

Article by BR Fiona

Throughout the decades hairstyles have come and gone, but a few have remained and hit 'icon' status. Check out our list of the 9 most iconic hairstyles and take a walk through hair history.

Finger Waves

Worn by: Veronica Lake

The 1940s is synonymous with old fashion Hollywood glam and nothing screams this more than the iconic finger wave. Made famous by actress Veronica Lake who wore her shoulder-length blonde hair in finger waves styled over her right eye, this pin up girl style made men swoon and women sigh with hair envy. This sultry look is still seen today on the red carpet by stylish stars such as Kate Hudson, Blake Lively and Reese Witherspoon.

Victory Rolls

Worn by: Lauren Bacall, Veronica Lake

Originally named after a fighter plane manoeuvre this style became iconic when used as a way of celebrating the allied forces victory in World War II. Typically identified as two rolls of hair pinned on top of your head, this look is making a comeback, along with the pin up girl style with sexy stars such as Dita Von Teese, Diane Kruger, Katy Perry and Rhianna cruising down the red carpet with their victory rolls.

The Beehive

Worn by: Audrey Hepburn, The Ronettes, Brigitte Bardot

The invention of 'big hair' came with the beehive. Created by Margaret Vinci Heldt, who won the National Coiffure Championship in 1954, Margaret was asked to create a hair style that she thought reflected the coming decade - the 1960s. Somehow a large amount of teased hair on top of your hair was what she came up with. Love it or hate you can't deny that the beehive is definitely an icon of the 1960s and with popular show Mad Men and singer Amy Winehouse using this bouffant look it seems set to endure!

Bedroom Hair

Worn by: Brigitte Bardot

Heroine of casual sexiness, 1960s bombshell Brigitte Bardot not only championed the sultry smokey eye, with her heavy black eyeliner but also the messy bedroom hair. Notable for it's 'just tousled in the hay' look this style requires skilful teasing and placing of curls to take this look from literally 'just woken up' to 'let's go back to bed?'

The Pixie Cut

Worn by: Twiggy, Audrey Hepburn, Mia Farrow

With all the hype around Jennifer Lawrence cutting her hair it would be easy to forget that this iconic look has been around since before Jennifer was born with classic British model Twiggy sporting a longer, side parted version of this look with her clumpy mascara in the 60s. However, Twiggy is not the only beauty icon to rock this look, with Audrey Hepburn sporting a cute little pixie cut in both her movies Roman Holiday and Sabrina. This look took on a whole new status when Mia Farrow starred in Rosemary's Baby sporting seriously short locks cut by none other than the iconic Vidal Sassoon. Many recent stars have embraced the scissors since with, of course, Jennifer Lawrence, Halle Berry, Emma Watson just to name a few.

Layers and Flicks

Worn by: Farrah Fawcett

Where would we be if Farrah Fawcett, in Charlie's Angels, hadn't made layers and flicks popular? This popular look is still being worn today with women running for their hairdryers to achieve that perfect blow out look. Bringing femininity back to sexuality Farrah's long layers and volume created movement in hair again, after a decade of teasing, straightening and pixie cuts.

The Perm

Worn by: Jennifer Grey

Ahhhhh the 80s full of many beauty do's and don'ts, perhaps more don'ts than do's but it's the decade we love to hate! Who can forget 'no one puts Baby in the corner' with Jennifer Grey and her permed shoulder length hair? Hitting our iconic hairstyle list HAS to be the perm, need we say more?

The Rachel

Worn by: Jennifer Aniston

From the 80s to the 90s we have our next iconic hairstyle - the Rachel. When Friends went to air in 1995 this hair style - named after the character who wore it (seriously I'm sure I didn't need to tell you that) quickly became a follicle phenomenon, hairstylists were probably sick of hearing "Oh I'll have the Rachel please!" Easily recognisable by its short choppy layers and volume at the roots, this style was not loved by its famous wearer with Jennifer stating in a 2011 interview with Allure "I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen". It wasn't that bad was it?

The Pob

Worn by: Victoria Beckham aka Posh Spice

Reinventing the bob, the pop quickly became one of the most copied celebrity hairstyles. Long at the front and short at the back this style screamed classic elegance with a twist. Named the 'pob' after its creators stage name (the Posh bob) the influence of this iconic hair style is still being seen on the streets and in the malls and let's be honest, it's a pretty good cut!

So there's our list, how did we do? How many have you worn and are you inspired to try something iconic?

Photo credits - wikimedia, warner, paramount, wikimedia, vestron, nbc, dailymail.co.uk