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It can't be said with certainty when short, off the shoulder, haircuts for women first came into style - it was in and out of fashion since late in the 19th century. But certain celebrity of the day lead the way in making this time-freeing modern look popular in the early decades of the 20th century. Socialite Lady Diana Cooper and trend setting dancer Irene Castle were among the first to popularize the short cut. This was not without controversy because many men and women tied wearing long hair to proper moral standards and religious observance.
Harold Teen October 1, 1926
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Toots and Casper June 25, 1924. I actually read an article from the early 1920s that supported this idea that bobbed hair would result in women going bald. Left unexplained is why it would affect women that way and not men- unless men wearing short hair is the reason so many of us go bald ?
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November 27, 1927 A punch-line that made dad look like a fool didn't start with 1950 TV sitcoms. The cloche [bell] hat was popular among flappers in the 1920s.
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Comic actress Colleen Moore with her famous, in it's day, bobbed hair cut was a natural to play Ella Cinders in the movies. In fact when I happened to see a photo of Colleen Moore I said to myself she looks like a living Ella Cinders. Later I found out she did indeed bring Ella to the big screen in 1926. As far as I know both Ella and Colleen escaped being spanked because of their bobbed hair but many women in the 1920s weren't so fortunate.
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Press and Sun-Bulletin Binghamton, New York August 10, 1922
Bobbed Hair Press and Sun-Bulletin Binghamton, NY Aug 10, 1922.jpg (96.54 KiB) Viewed 3169 times
Morning Call Allentown, PA July 22, 1927 This is the harshest prison sentence I've ever seen related to domestic spanking. Many times in the 1920s a judge actually gave his full approval to reasonable wife-spanking. In the case of this husband of whom it is said 'flew into a rage' and yanked his wife by the hair, actions went beyond a reasonable spanking.
Bobbed Hair Morning Call Allentown, PA July 22, 1927.jpg (70.98 KiB) Viewed 3169 times
The Morning News Wilmington DE May 13, 1922 Here the parents, dad in particular, are commended for taking action when their daughter defies their orders and gets her hair bobbed.
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St. Louis Star & Times November 3, 1923 It seems that most court cases involving spanking and bobbed hair ended this way.
Bobbed Hair St. Louis Star and Times Nov 3, 1923.jpg (38.51 KiB) Viewed 3169 times
Pittsburgh Press July 19, 1925 Bobbed hair aside, in the 1920s, as in any decade, a husband could find a lot of good reasons [excuses] to spank his wife.
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A few things strike me upon reading your latest finds, Phil.
First, today's feminists are full of it when they talk about some "patriarchy" that has supposedly always oppressed women. We see here that even back in the 1920's, 90 years ago, men were being hauled into court when they spanked their wives for bobbing their hair. Not beating their wives, or harming them in any way, but just spanking. Spanking isn't beating and it isn't domestic abuse, and it should be accepted as part of the marital relationship without running off to court. Those women who really can't stand it should make that clear to a man before agreeing to marry him.
Second, as we have previously observed, flapper spanking had widespread popular support. As well it should have! Girls have a tendency to give in to wild impulses, and good parents must protect them by raising them properly. If that requires spanking, then so be it. I don't believe in spanking young children, but teen-agers are unlikely to be psychologically damaged by spanking, and if that's the only form of discipline that gets results, it's better for parents to use it than wind up with a daughter who's addicted to drugs or who has run off with some ne'er-do-well.
This may sound strict and old-fashioned, but all around us we see the results of children not being raised properly. Good parenting is the only thing keeping the next generation from turning out as complete savages, and while it's not synonymous with spanking or even discipline, spanking is one tool in the kit that has to be available to parents in those cases where it's really needed.
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