Salem Press

The Eighties in America offers comprehensive coverage of the impact of the 1980's on the United States and Canada. With free, unlimited online access to all the "Decades" titles in your collection.

Adult Hairstyles

Definition Styles or manners of arranging the hair

Several attention-getting hairstyles became popular during the 1980's. Some reflected the luxury and lavishness of the decade, while others reflected the desire of alternative cultures to resist and stand out from the mainstream.

Diana, princess ofWales, was one of the people who influenced popular styles of the 1980's. She wore her hair in a slick bob with a defined back neckline contour, a style that could be varied (combed forward or backward, for example) and one that was emulated throughout the decade. Television shows featuring the affluent and elegant had an influence on women's hairstyles for the first time, although televisions had been in American homes since the 1950's.

The television characters that most influenced American hairstyles were the fictitious Carringtons of Dynasty and the Ewings of Dallas, who stood for many Americans as symbols of financial achievement. Once they appeared on the screen, the overblown long hairstyles worn by the women in these evening soap operas became the rage. Krystle, a character on Dynasty played by Linda Gray, had a signature style consisting of platinum blond hair cut in a long, straight, bob, with bangs feathered back from her face. Usually, Krystle wore her hair down, but sometimes it was swept up and puffed out from the sides of her face. For Dynasty watchers, Krystle's hairstyle was the perfect example of how to look in the 1980's.

So-called big hair was the trend of the decade, even for women with short hair. Working women, who had to look tidy at the office, gave up hair rollers and opted for blow dryers and finger-shaping with wax as the favorite way to finish hair, or they wore long hair tied back. Long, sleek, and perfectly straight hair was another office look.Women's hairstyles became increasingly long in the last half of the 1980's, with the domination of blunt cuts that were worn straight across the back. Many new products, such as hair mousse and hair gels, along with the old standby hair spray, helped shape wayward tresses. However, the styled look of these products often lasted only one day, causing women to start washing their hair daily. In addition to shows about the wealthy, detective shows were also successful, particularly Miami Vice. Actor Don Johnson, one of the leads in the show, inspired men to adapt the fashion of beard stubble, or "five o'clock shadow," at all hours.