HAIR POLITICS AND WOMEN’S PERCEPTION OF HAIR BEAUTY IN BRITAIN AND IN FRANCE (FROM THE 19TH TO THE 20TH CENTURIES)

Abstract

“Beautiful” is an adjective which we use to describe something we like and of course it is a relative perception, it changes person to person but there are common stereotypes about beauty which are created by the society in time. The word “beautiful” is mostly associated with woman in society because from the Ancient Times woman and woman body were considered as the symbol of the beauty and ideal beauty depictions about them were always done even if they change in time. It is possible to say that we cannot talk about an absolute beauty because beauty concept and beauty perception has changed depending on the various cultures and historical periods. We do not know how aesthetic criteria determine the fate of women. On the other hand; we know that social judgments which defines a woman as “beautiful” or a man as “handsome” is complex phenomenon because we cannot mention any objective standard and it is very difficult to be objective about aesthetic aspects of these judgment. On the other hand, perceptions about human beauty can arise out of aesthetical appearance of body parts because parts of the body make a big contribution to general appearances of woman and man. Hairstyles serve as important cultural images because they are always visible to everyone; hair is a public phenomenon and it is very useful to see personal and cultural preferences. For women, it is not only a body part but also an ornament, the indicator of human beauty. Martin Luther’s phrase supports that idea “hair is the richest ornament of women”. Because of these, the main objective of this article is to analyze perception on British and French women’s hair and hair beauty from the 19th and to the 20th centuries within the historical framework. In the article while examining the perception on British and French women’s hair and hair beauty it will also be traced back the perception on Western European women’s hair and hair beauty from the historical perspective.