Hair of the Roaring 20's

Alice Luu
Dec 10, 2025
2 min read

Updated: 9 hours ago

A 100 years ago from today, Americans were witnessing the famous Roaring 20’s where the economy took a soar thanks to the second Industrial revolution. It also brought about a sharp cultural change where the “New Woman” with loose, knee-length dresses, who enjoyed public smoking and drinking were born. Let's see how they styled their hair to accompany this new found image.

1.The bob

Freeing from the societal rule of the last century, the women cut their hair short. A hairstyle that is associated with masculinity, signifying women's independence in wartime as they take on the role of farmers and factory workers when the men are off fighting.

2.Orchid bob

This variations come with a side part and straight sleek hair, tapered to both sides of the cheek.

3. Waves

Now if you wanted to change up your bob for a fancy night out, waves are your best friend. There are many variations to the waves such as Marcel waves (created by the first curling iron), water waves, finger waves. Despite their different names, they are all recognizable by the back and forth S-shape waves.

4.Eton crop

If you prefer the extreme then the Eton crop is the one for you. Commonly seen on Eton schoolboys during the mid-1920s, hence the name. This hairstyle come with shaved nape, hair sitting above the ear, and a lot of attention and comment from the media.

5.Earphones (Cootie Garage)

Look exactly like how it is called, also a short hairstyle but instead of sacrificing their length, the hairs are braided and swept up into two flat buns on both sides of the face. Another name for it was the Cootie Garage, duped by their abilities to hide things in the large buns. This updo offers a much more youthful look compared to the bob, which is why it was popular among younger women.

Famously, a variation of this can be seen on Princess Leia in Star Wars.