The bowl cut, a simple yet historically significant hairstyle, has a surprisingly long and varied history, particularly in its association with boys. From its practical origins to its moments of fashionability and controversial connotations, the bowl cut's story is a fascinating reflection of social, economic, and cultural trends.
The bowl cut's origins lie in practicality and ease. As the name suggests, the haircut was traditionally achieved by placing a bowl or pot on the head and trimming the hair around the edge, resulting in an even, circular cut. This method required no specialized skills and could be easily performed at home, making it a popular choice for families who lived far from barbers or who couldn't afford professional haircuts. The appeal was simple: It was a style that could be achieved with no skill, no brushing, and at virtually no cost.
The bowl cut became a common sight in households, particularly in rural areas. Mothers, often without access to barbershops, took on the task of cutting their children's hair. The bowl cut offered a simple and efficient solution, ensuring a neat and tidy appearance with minimal effort. This was because it was an easy cut for a mother to give, and the boy did not have to be taken to the barber. We see these cuts in both the late-19th and early-20th century. This approach to cutting hair was primarily for children.
While the basic bowl cut involved trimming the hair all the way around the head to the same length, variations existed. Some mothers opted for a partial bowl cut, leaving the hair longer at the back. Others focused on cutting the front bangs, resulting in a fringe that framed the face. Note that some bangs were cut straight across, while others had more of a rounded look that may have resulted from using the bowl approach.
The bowl cut's popularity has fluctuated throughout history, with periods of widespread use followed by periods of decline.
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The style was common among European men in the 12th through 15th centuries as well as Russian serfs in the 18th century.
In America, the bowl cut gained prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a common sight among younger boys, particularly in cities. Ages varied. They were most common for younger boys in the cities. We see boys in the early 20th century with bowl cuts, but the way they are dressed, they clearly do not come from poor families. In rural and western areas where barbers were less common and people were less affluent, older boys might have bowl cuts as well, including boys up to the early teens sometimes.
By the time the Great Depression hit in the late 1920s and '30s, an economical way of trimming hair at home became a popular choice for households trying to conserve funds. Sitting a child in a chair and snipping in a circle was something virtually anyone could do.
Despite its practical origins, the bowl cut has experienced moments of fashionable revival, often influenced by popular culture.
The bowl cut experienced another surge in the 1960s, though this time it owed more to fashion than the economy. When the original members of the Beatles went on tour in Hamburg, Germany, in 1960, they befriended a group of art students including Astrid Kirchherr and Jürgen Vollmer. Kirchherr and Sutcliffe fell in love. When she agreed to give Sutcliffe a haircut, she emulated the bowl style popular among art students at the time. Harrison requested the same thing. Later, when Lennon and McCartney visited Vollmer in Paris, they got similar cuts. By the time the Beatles arrived stateside in 1964, the group-now minus Sutcliffe and Best, but having added Ringo Starr-was sporting what TIME magazine dubbed the “mushroom” haircut. The band’s fanatical followers emulated the style. As long hair became fashionable, we see longer bowl cuts. A somewhat longer version, called the mod haircut, was popular with teenagers during the late-1960s and early-70s.
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We also note fashionable boys with bowl cuts in the 1980s. Some were done with a kind of layering.
The bowl cut has not always been viewed favorably. Over time, it has become associated with certain stereotypes and cultural perceptions.
In the United States, the bowl cut was never particularly popular. At least as far back as the 1980s, the cut has been ridiculed by many. The bowl cut is generally seen as a child's cut. By their teen years, however, boys generally wanted a more mature cut.
But adults adopting the style was often shorthand for imbecility or mental disturbances. Jim Carrey sported a bowl cut in 1994’s Dumb and Dumber. So did Javier Bardem, as philosophical hitman Anton Chigurh, in 2007’s No Country for Old Men.
More recently, the bowl cut has taken on some sinister connotations. The style has been used in memes advocating far-right and white supremacist beliefs after Dylann Roof was seen with the cut following his 2015 mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, that killed nine people. In 2019, the Anti-Defamation League added the bowl cut to its list of hate symbols.
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While the bowl cut has a distinct history in America and Europe, it's important to note its presence in other cultures as well.
The bowl cut was common among the Amish because mother did the hair cutting.
We are unsure about Germany and Eastern Europe, but they seem very common in Russia. This is difficult to assess because our archive is limited, and it was common to virtually shave off the hair of school-age boys.
Japanese children seem to have bowl cuts, both boys and girls, especially the front bangs.
We see some of the Native Americans in Brazil, such as the Yanomamo, with bowl cuts.
There’s something you should know about Joan of Arc’s haircut. You might have an image in your mind’s eye of a Prince Valiant pageboy, or a cute pixie à la Jean Seberg. You have been misled. Reader, Joan wore a bowl cut. Joan fashioned this cut, and the complete look that went with it, with great intention. Joan ran away from home in 1428 during the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) to become a warrior-saint and save France from the allied forces of the English and the Burgundians. Joan donned a new outfit, too: a tight-fitting ensemble of doublet and hose with a short, knee-length robe; a close-cut hood; high-laced boots; long spurs; and a sword, dagger, lance, scabbard of red velvet and gold cloth; and all the accessories befitting a man-at-arms. Joan wore armor made of the shiniest polished steel and carried a self-designed battle-banner, white and fringed with silk, picturing sacred symbols of Joan’s invention - an image of the world flanked by angels, a field sown with fleurs-de-lis, and the names of Jesus and Mary. When Joan was asked by the inquisitors “which she preferred, the banner or the sword,” Joan chose silk over steel, as recorded in the transcripts of the trial: “she was much fonder, indeed 40 times fonder, of the banner than the sword.” Joan commanded fashion’s power to exert influence. This banner, the record shows, set a trend. It was copied by all the soldiers in Joan’s army, who believed in its miraculous power to bring victory. Joan said that the haircut had been divinely ordained, and claimed to have heard the voices of angels. These angels told Joan to get a bowl cut, put on a doublet and hose, and save France. After being captured by the Burgundian and English forces in 1430 and put on trial for heresy by an ecclesiastical court, the Inquisition declared the hair, clothes, and armor a violation of scripture, the prohibitions of the Church, and the teachings of saints and doctors in theology and canon law. The Inquisition put it clearly: “She is apostate for cutting off her hair.” From the Inquisition’s perspective, only Satan could have inspired a peasant girl to dare wear the haircut of a prince.
Let’s focus in on that hair: cut “in the round,” “above the ears,” “like a young man’s.” Specifically, we’re talking about a high-fashion medieval combination of an undercut and a bowl. In his chapter on hair, Harmand demonstrates that Joan’s round cut above the ears was the early 15th-century French style sported by kings, princes, and dukes. To this day, the bowl cut remains, to put it diplomatically, controversial. The bowl cut in general, and specifically in its early-15th-century iteration, freaks people out, especially when shown on the head of Joan of Arc.
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