Apparently, you can tell a lot about a person from their haircut. At least, that's what preachers, employers and easily-swayed husbands believed 100 years ago when the first bob was unveiled.
So shocked were these folk by this so-called rebellious behavior, they promptly denounced, sacked or divorced anyone who was sporting this most daring of haircuts. Nevertheless, undeterred, forward-thinking women still queued up outside hairdressers for the latest crop.
Created in 1909 by legendary stylist Antoine de Paris, the bob was immediately greeted with a mixed response.
The famous hairdresser was apparently inspired by Joan of Arc, and the style of wearing one's hair cropped to, or just below, the chin (often worn with a severe fringe) was immediately popular. Daring flapper girls couldn't wait to shear off their hair in a combined act of style and defiance, while members of the establishment were shocked at the statement.
The bob slowly but surely took off in the early 1900s, starting in fashionable society and moving to the masses thanks to silent film actresses such as Louise Brooks, who famously sported a graphic short bob and fringe.
The bob didn't stay scandalous for long, however. In the 1960s, the hairstyle came back into vogue once again, this time thanks to fashion-forward teenagers and twenty-somethings, who were interested in all things stylish and revelled in following the latest trends.
Twiggy and Mary Quant sported bobs, while plenty of others followed their stylish lead. Soon the bob of the 1920s was forgotten and the haircut became as synonymous with the 1960s look as mini-skirts and false eyelashes. Around this time, the bob evolved to become more than just a single-shape haircut. Women were walking out of salons with cropped-short bobs, longer chin-length bobs and experimenting with crazy options such as thick fringes, no fringes and, a 1960s favorite, the side parting. Then there was the Purdy cut in the 1970s, sported by Joanna Lumley in TV series The New Avengers. Cut with a razor sharp edge on the neck, and a graduated finish to give the hair a slight bowl shape, this new take on the bob also became known as the "mop top. "Of course, not everyone aspires to having the perfect bob. Lovers of long hair, for instance, have continually derided the cut for its masculine overtones. Accused of being unfeminine, the bob has often found itself replaced, in fashion terms, by long hair. Or, worse, the perm. Indeed, although the bob has had many fashionable supporters over the years, the fact remains that it's a style that many people just can't pull off. In part, because of the severity of the cut (just on the chin suits very few women) and partly because it takes a lot of effort to maintain (sadly, a sharp bob just doesn't go very well with an unmade-up face and scruffy jeans) the bob can't be worn by any Thomasina, Daisy or Harriet.
To look good in a bob, you need to have an impressively sharp bone structure -- high cheeks are a must and a sharp jawline is essential. Similarly, bobs look best on long, elegant necks, which is perhaps why some of the most famous bob-wearers have been models or skinny actresses. Present-day bobs are less revolutionary, though, it has to be said, no less popular. Only recently, a fashionably-reinvented Victoria Beckham sported a striking short bob that critics soon labelled the Pob. Such was the popularity of the Posh-bob that women all over the world -- including those who had previously scoffed at Victoria -- were clamouring to get this latest cut. Sadly, for all those who had paid good money to copy Victoria's do, the Pob was soon superseded by actress Katie Holmes's cropped bob with a fringe, which was then very recently outdone by actress Anne Hathaway's longer above-the-shoulder bob with no fringe.
