Eton crop

The Eton crop is a type of very short, slicked-down crop hairstyle for women.^[1]

American-British actress Bessie Love with an Eton crop, 1925

Popularity

It became popular during the 1920s because it was ideal to showcase the shape of cloche hats.^[1][2] It was worn by Josephine Baker, among others.^[1] The name derives from its similarity to a hairstyle allegedly popular with schoolboys at Eton.^[3]

History

The Eton crop appears to have emerged in Britain in the mid-1920s: the first use of the phrase in The Times is in September 1926. ^{[citation needed]}

Description

It is a severe hairstyle, emphasising the shape of the head and focusing interest on the face. In June 1927 Margot Asquith, Lady Oxford, derided: "Women with neither backs nor tops to their heads, and faces as large as hams, appear at the King's Drawing Rooms with the nuque of their necks blue from shaving...".^[4] By 1930 it had become outmoded among the most fashionable.^{[citation needed]}

In culture

A critic reviewing a collection of society portraits notes: "Hairdressing is in a state of transition. There is an Eton crop, there are many soft shingles, and there are a few heads where the hair is being let grow."^[5]

It was the haircut of choice for the more masculine lesbians in the lesbian subculture, particularly in England, during its time of popularity.^[6]

See also

• List of hairstyles