Most simply, the bob haircut is a blunt cut that is level with the bottom of the ears all the way around the head. It is typically worn either with bangs, or hair swept across or off the forehead. The look comes in and out of fashion often, generally reentering fashion with a new and interesting twist.

Though women have worn short hair since they began imitating the Roman Emperor Titus, the extreme popularity of the fashion came about during the First World War. In 1915, female ambulance drivers utilized the bob haircut for reasons of convenience and sanitation. Because of this, the cut became highly fashionable among French women.

It wasn’t until 1918, when Irene Castle, a renowned ballroom dancer, donned a bob haircut, that it became hugely successful in America. The “Castle bob” dramatically changed the female youth of the 20’s. The young women readily accepted the chance to shed their long, feminine locks, in favor of the daring, dangerous bob haircut. In cutting their hair, women felt they gained independence and equality with men. The instantaneous attachment to the haircut foreshadowed significant changes in society that came in the 1920’s.

In the beginning, women could only get a bob haircut at barbershops; some cities reported women waiting in lines outside the shop, even lounging on the barbershop floor, waiting for their turn under the sheers. The Washington Post reported that the bob haircut had also propelled a new industry in America. In 1920, only five thousand hairdressing shops existed in the United States. By the end of 1924, there were some twenty-one thousand established hairdressing shops across the nation.

The “shingle bob” came into existence in 1923, and was a more severe take on the bob than ever before. In a true shingle bob, the hair tapers to a “V” at the nape of the neck, and the sides are either waves or curls. This version of the bob haircut had the more conservative in the nation insisting that from the back, you couldn’t tell if a person was a boy or girl.

Despite the extreme popularity, not everyone accepted the new style. Though King George of England made no remark, Queen Mary requested that all ladies at court functions hide their short hair. For that reason, women often kept the pieces of their long hair after it had been cut! In 1925, a teacher in New Jersey was forced by the Board of Education to grow her hair long again. Preachers across the nation warned against bobbed women. In one event, a large department store fired all employees with bobbed hair.

By 1927, women began to back off the severity of the style, and embraced a softer look as the 30’s approached. However, the style would never truly die. Likely since it looks good on many face structures and hair textures, and since it is easily managed, the bob haircut returns time and time again.