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Twelve months ago, the thought of allowing an untrained member of our household to cut our hair would make some of us run for the hills.

But as lockdown continues, it's what many of us are resorting to as hairdressers and barbers remain closed. The 'quarantine cut' is filling social media feeds across the world and seems set to become part of the rich and fascinating history of the hairdo.

A fascinating history, and a complex one. Just like today, the way we style our hair can hold a mirror to the times they were created. Styles like the ones listed below.

The long and the short of it

Hair grows at more or less the same rate regardless of gender but, in much of western Europe, men have tended to wear their hair shorter and less styled than women. Surprisingly, it’s not clear why that’s been the case, although it could simply be down to what was considered socially acceptable at one point becoming a long-term social convention.

As far back as Roman times, it was popular for women to wear their hair long with a distinct parting, but any man openly taking care of his lustrous locks was frowned upon. Roman soldiers followed suit by keeping everything short and manageable.

But style is fickle. Eras came and went where lavish, lengthy curls on a man placed them on the upper tiers of society and having it cut short was connected to the conformity of a military, or even prison, life.

Rocking the Ice Age

Rachael Gibson is a former web editor of Hairdressers Journal, a magazine for the industry published since 1882. She is also passionate about the history of the hairstyle, even running her own Instagram account on the subject. ����ý Bitesize spoke to her about how different ‘dos have existed for as long as humans have had locks to play around with - and what they mean.

“People have been styling their hair since time began,” she said, “for the same reasons that we do today. Practicality, decoration, tradition or customs, and to show allegiance or involvement in a particular group or part of society. Hairstyles signify a huge amount.”

The Venus of Willendorf and Venus of Brassempouy, two statuettes from the Ice Age dated at 30,000BC, show evidence of hairstyling and braiding. In times of battle, Celtic warriors bleached their beards with lime to intimidate the enemy and in Japan, Samurai warriors’ intricate chonmage style was designed to allow them to keep their helmets on during combat.

Keeping your wig on

One example of social rank exemplified by hair would be the towering wig worn by Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France whose reign was interrupted by 1789’s revolution. Rachael noted that Antoinette’s wigs: “demonstrate very clearly that this isn’t someone who has to work for a living or move around a great deal.”

The same went for men, at least for a while. In the 1600s, military men in Europe wore their hair long and in a ponytail. Not only was it a striking look, it differentiated them from society’s manual labourers and enslaved people in one glance. By the 1700s, wigs were fashionable for men too. However, the Hair Powder Tax of 1795, a levy introduced to help foot the bill for the Napoleonic wars, was considered too pricey. An annual stamp duty of one guinea made hair powder - used to make any wig look an expensive shade of white - an unnecessary luxury almost overnight.

The changing shapes of style

The quick demise of wigs for men is one example of circumstance changing our looks as opposed to fashion. But hair can be used as a protest against these circumstances.

Rachael continued: “Movements such as the end of people wearing wigs in high society demonstrate a marked change in culture, and reflect what was happening in wider society at the time. The long hair of hippies wasn't just about a group of people wanting to wear their hair differently, it was about rejecting the ideals of a previous generation and opposition to the Vietnam war.”

The 1920s were an important period for women’s hair. Women took more control over their own appearance (and lives), in that they rejected many of the conventions which society dictated was acceptable. The shorter, bobbed cuts coincided with the rise of the cosmetics industry, when it became fashionable to imitate the look of actresses such as the film star Clara Bow.

Forty years later, another revolution rolled along. In the 1960s, Vidal Sassoon introduced a variety of low maintenance ‘wash and wear’ cuts. At a time when women were becoming more liberated and pursuing their own careers, he was keen to introduce styles which didn’t need hours under the hairdryer.

Hairstyles may have to change through necessity. For example, the 1940s Victory Roll popularised by the actress Veronica Lake wasn’t all about glamour. It involved wearing hair up - very important when dealing with factory machinery as so many women did during World War Two.

Rachael explained: “Being able to create elegant styles brings a moment of hope and cheer into people's lives, which is why salons and home hairdressing techniques have continued to flourish even during challenging times.”

When the world wants your style

But then there’s the times when a certain cut can enchant the world. One example is ‘The Rachel’, as worn by Jennifer Aniston’s character in the US sitcom Friends. The cut debuted in a 1995 episode and its inventor, stylist Chris McMillan, had people fly to his salon in Los Angeles specifically to get the same cut from him.

But that’s no new thing. People copied The Rachel just as others emulated the styles of kings and queens centuries before. Rachael said: “One of the key differences in modern celebrity society is that the speed of these changes is more immediate thanks to social media, and that looks are perhaps more achievable thanks to advances in technology and a broader availability of affordable wigs and hairpieces.”

So does that mean we should look to social media for hints on where hairdos will go next? Perhaps not. Rachael believes we are moving more into an era of looks specific to each person rather than a society group: “We're lucky to be living in a time when self-acceptance and individuality has become a trend in itself. Hopefully, there will be less dictated trends and more organic, self-prescribed looks.”