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The first women to bob their hair were 1920s flappers, or as the French called them: garçonnes. They were the racy, daring bright young things who in the post WWI war period, defied convention with their behaviour and clothes.
They worried their parents, and shocked polite society, kicked up their heels in jazz clubs until all hours. They danced on tables in alarmingly short dresses that revealed not just their ankles… but their knees. Mon dieu!
At this time, women were expected to display their femininity and docility by wearing their long hair demurely piled up. Chopping it off at your chin made a ballsy statement indeed.
The original It girl, silent movie star Clara Bow had a bob. Her peer Louise Brooks had one too.
Fast forward to 2017, and modern It girls are sporting bobs to the Met Gala, which this year honours Japanese designer Rei Kawakubo. Lily Collins went the full Louise Brooks flapper look (we think it’s a wig).
Karlie Kloss has cut herself a choppy blonde version. While Bella Hadid and Selena Gomez both have softer, slightly longer lined versions of the bobbed cut. But no one bobs quite like Anna Wintour.
Kawakubo’s own signature hairstyle is a sharp black bob. And her label is called? Yep. Comme des Garçons. Like ze boys indeed.
