ABSTRACT

HAIR Hair, particularly on the face and head, is among the most visible signs of one’s social affiliation. Hair’s symbolic significance lies in its attachment to the head and face, traditionally considered the location of a person’s wisdom and personality, respectively. Although the color and texture of one’s hair is determined by genetics, people cut, color, grow, and style their hair to signal associations with gender, ethnicity, religion, and age. Apart from these familiar folklife categories, hairstyle can express a subcultural identity; for example, individuals belonging to skinhead gangs shave their heads, and punk music fans sport spiked hair. There are also looks that define historic periods, such as the flapper (or bobbed-hair) style of the 1920s, and the long hippie hair of the 1960s.