Top 5 Celebrity Signature Hairstyles
I’m no expert when it comes to hair, but I’ve slowly discovered throughout the years that a signature hairstyle – whether it’s a bob à la Anna Wintour or fringe à la Goldie Hawn can define an individual’s look.
I’ve gone through a multitude of bad hairstyles and traumatic experiences with hairstylists — from bowl cuts to peroxide-blonde highlights — and I’ve yet to find a “signature” look for myself.
After attending a panel discussion at Barnard College called “Just Hair? Women, Politics, Passion and Fashion” with Ayana Byrd (author of Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America), Atoosa Rubenstein (one of my childhood heroes and former editor-in-chief of Seventeen), and Anne Kreamer (author of Going Gray: What I learned About Beauty, Sex, Motherhood, Authenticity, and Everything Else That Really Matters), I learned about the gravity and significance of hair in the lives of women. From being forced to straighten our curls to be fit for a job interview to dyeing our beautiful silver locks to look “more attractive”, our society agonizes over hair and spends billions of dollars on it every year.
So, hair is a serious topic. (During Atoosa’s reign at Seventeen, the hair section was the second-highest rated in the magazine!) And a “signature” hairstyle can say a lot about who you are or who you want to be.
The following five well-tressed figures are known not only for their respective talents, but also for their signature hairstyles.
1. Anna Wintour: The Power Bob
Photo Credit: 1
As the most powerful figure in the fashion industry (and quite frankly, the world), Anna Wintour forces us to acknowledge her sharp personality by complementing it with a short bob by hairdresser Charlie Chan. She has maintained this hairstyle for as long as anyone can remember, and it works well for her pointed, angular facial features.
Should you get a short bob? If you have a slim and long face, a short bob can add width to your face. Long hair can drag down your face, so opting for a shorter hairstyle (especially with bangs) can bring the focus back to the best features on your face!
2. Brigitte Bardot: The Messed Tresses
Photo Credit: 1
Brigitte Bardot was every teenage boy’s fantasy in the 1960s — and for good reason. Playboy Bunnies nowadays could learn a thing from this international sex bomb. She mastered the messy down and taught us that beautiful, sexy hair didn’t have to brushed or maintained in uptight curls. In fact, Bardot’s voluminous curls define what I like to call “sex hair”. Before there was Megan Fox, there was this bright-eyed doll.
Should you get sex-mess curls? If you have a round face, soft low-maintenance curls that fall around your face in cascades can soften the roundness. Always get long hair!
3. Farrah Fawcett: Lion-Haired
Photo Credit: 1
One of the original Charlie’s Angels, Farrah Fawcett’s feathered look complemented her golden locks and strong personality — a strength that she carried with her throughout her battle with cancer. Windswept hair in multiple layers creates a fierce and natural look for any hair color.
Should you get feathered layers? If you have a square face with sharp angles, a wispy feathered hairstyle can soften a strong jaw or chin.
4. Jennifer Aniston: The “Rachel” Cut
Ah yes, the hairstyle that defined a career and an entire decade: Jennifer Aniston’s “Rachel” cut from Friends. I might have been in middle school when this show ran, but I definitely remember sneaking glances at the episodes when my parents weren’t looking (I wasn’t allowed to watch the show until high school). The “Rachel” was short, sexy, and spunky — and women across the United States wanted to copy Aniston’s hairstyle back in the 1990s.
Should you get the “Rachel”? Well, to be honest, this is a trend from the 1990s, but trends come and go — so if you have an oval face, the soft frames of the “Rachel” can add volume in a low-maintenance way.
5. Twiggy: The Pixie Cut
Photo Credit: 1
Before Victoria Beckham and Halle Berry’s beautiful pixie cuts, there was doe-eyed supermodel Twiggy’s original pixie cut. She defied convention and the constraints of femininity by creating a new definition of womanhood for herself — by maintaining an androgynous young girl look.
Should you get a pixie cut? If you have a delicate or defined bone structure, a pixie cut could highlight these features. Just remember, a trade-off to the easy upkeep is the fact that a pixie cut hides nothing!
What do you think?
What are your favorite celebrity hairstyles? Would you try any of these?
Posted on on October 20, 2009 / Filed Under: Beauty & Hair / Tags: Anna Wintour, Brigitte Bardot, Celebs, Farrah Fawcett, Hair, Hairstyles, Jennifer Aniston, Top 5, Twiggy
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Tamara
I love this post! I like taking care of my hair and I think it’s a real big part of a look, but I’m totally against following the trends when it comes to hair: every change you make in it, I think, must be personal.
I’ve always wore my hear long and flowy, straight but not steak straight, savage style. I had it red for a year, I had just finished hs and wanted a big change; it looked great on me (I have pale skin, rosy cheeks and hazel greenish eyes) but it was too high maintenance for my lifestyle. So now I’m back with my Alanis Morisette signature style (maybe not a fashion icon, but definitely personal style!)
Isabelle
This post is awesome! Such classics; my favorite is Bardot who is often forgotten and was diffidently the starter of the bed hair look.
Valeria
I love Brigitte Bardot’s look! and I wear it everyday, so I would say that “messy” is my signature look.
I have natural wavy hair and round face, so I lear (the hard way) that the messy style is the most flattering for me. And when it comes to color, I love my hair even more, because it’s dark brown (veeeery dark brown, lol) but it has this beautiful natural reddish highlights! So, yeah, I’m very proud of my hair.
Loved the post! I’m watching friends again and the rachel look is a classic!
Arielle
I love Farrah Fawcett hair! It’s so gorgeous and sexy!
I think Rihanna could soon be added to the list of celebrity signature styles. Although her hair kinda seems to be all over the place lol
Suzi
I love how twiggy’s hair makes her eyes stand out (that, and the carefully placed fake eyelashes) They’re HUGE!
Your mention of the author Ayana Byrd (Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America) intrigued me, and that panel sounded interesting. It sounds like there could several articles worth of inspiration coming from the discussion, even tho this blog is more fashion-oriented than beauty.
All in all, this was a great sampling of signature looks! It also reminds me I’m long overdue for a good haircut, lol.
Leia
Your remarks about Anna Wintour – LOL! I highly doubt that she’s the most powerful figure in the world!!! Also, it may just be me but I don’t think her hair actually suits her…
My favorites from this post were Rachel and Brigitte! Lovely idea for a post :)
Brooke
How do I perfect the Bardot look? I’ve got the prerequisites…how do I do it?
Alana @ The Comm Ave Strut
I’m pretty sure I’ve loved every hairstyle Reese Witherspoon has ever had. I think she’s adorable.
Madeleine
My favorite celebrity hairstyle is Regina Spektor’s because even though at passing glance her hair looks like anybody else’s, when you actually think about it, her hair is such a pretty shade of brown and it always looks so shiny and healthy. I would try out the Brigitte Bardot look because it’s really low-key but uber-sexy at the same time.
Iris
I just find it ethically strange that you went to a discussion about the oppressing standards of hair-style and thus image in women’s culture, to suggesting celebrity hairstyles. Whatever floats your boat, I guess.
Iris
Ack, pressed enter before I was done writing!
P.S. I just found it a harsh transition, because I believe the purpose of that panel was to educate women about society’s influence on hairstyle, and how it represents a section of conformity. Unless you were writing this article as a way to suggest featuring your own “signature style,” the idea of writing an article on “Top Celebrity Hairstyles” just seems unnecessarily conformist and exacting to the standards set by the media. Perhaps next time, you could better clarify what you mean by a “finding a unique and signature hairstyle,” instead of giving 5 looks and hoping that the reader would come away with the right impression.
Cara
Nice post. I’d have mentioned Audrey Hepburn baby-bangs and ballerina buns, too, but then I guess I’m more than a bit biased toward all things Audrey :P. Bardot’s look is so pretty on her, but somehow bead-head doesn’t work for me. Whatever I do to it, it LOOKS like I literally just got out of bed, and it’s bad. Gets all tangly and frizzy…I stick to tailored smooth because apparently tousled is tougher than it looks.
Nicole
I’ve got long, golden brown, wavy to curly hair that always seems to be a mess (a matter not helped by the fact that I haven’t found a way to brush or comb my hair without it getting ridiculously puffy). I would say it’s closest to Bardot’s, but the effect is rather different as I generally have it parted down the side and no bangs or short layers around my face. It seems to work for the most part, I have received a lot of compliments on it but I’d like to figure out how to put a nice roller set in it (sometimes one wants to look a little more put together without having to contain the hair in an up or half up do).
I will have to see how my hair does when pushed in a more sexy, just got out of bed, kind of direction.
Carmen
LOL @ Anna Wintour being the most powerful person in the world.
I have to second Iris’ comments. I would have loved to see you bring some of your immense talent to collegefashion.net, but I keep getting the impression that you are more suited to blogging about yourself than actually writing a coherent piece that appeals to the audience. What are w supposed to do with top 5 celebrity hairstyles? Why are you writing about these hairstyles if you admittedly know nothing about hair and cannot give us tips on how to execute them? Try writing about something you know without being pretentious about it. Still waiting for a good article from you.
Zephyr - CF Editor
Iris – It’s probably my fault that you got a disjointed impression of the article. I edit everything before it goes up on the site, and I changed Noel’s original title to “Top 5 Celebrity Signature Hairstyles”, because I thought it sounded better and was more link-friendly. That said, it probably gave you a different impression of the article than Noel originally intended. I also edited her intro to make it fit more with the “Top 5 Celebrity Hairstyle” theme. In doing that, I think I may have taken away from Noel’s original concept a bit. Sometimes I edit pretty quickly and can definitely make mistakes with it! So the criticism shouldn’t fall only on Noel.
Carmen – I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying. Not every article has to be 100% practical and how-to oriented. Some pieces can exist purely for entertainment value, and simply to list “The top 5″ of whatever topic. We’ve published plenty of posts like that here before. Also, I have no idea what “pretension” you’re referring to. I can only assume that it was a rude and unnecessary jab at Noel, something that has NO place here.
Tany from Online Colleges
I agree with Arielle, Rhianna should definitely be added on this list. I’m not a big fan of short hair but Rhianna pulls it off very well. Even when she styles it crazy, it still looks great.
Anna
I love this post! I for one, love Farrah’s hair! Since I’ve cut my waist length hair I really want to try her hairstyle one weekend!
Tara from My Little Fashion Finds
I LOVE the “Rachel” haircut! Jennifer Aniston is gorgeous and I envy how her hair always looked great in every scene she was in on Friends. Unfortunately, I don’t think I really have the hair or the face to pull off the “Rachel” myself.
Lena
Oh, hair. I have a curly bob, which I have a love/hate relationship with. Hate because i can’t pull it up and out of the way. Love because it’s easy to manage. Hate because I don’t feel as much like a girl as I did with long hair. Love because I’m not hugely girly. Such an issue. Anyways, I really like this article because I think it’s true that hair plays a big role in personal style and other’s perception of personal style. I love Bardot’s hair, it gives off such an effortlessly sexy vibe.