༺ Doing an Authentic 1940s Cut ~ The Middy Plus ༻

This is the story of how I decided back in 2012 to get my hair cut in an authentic 1940’s war time style. This post originally appeared on my previous blog Depict This!. I thought it might be helpful, so I decided to republish it here. (｡・◡・｡) ❤ 

༺ ♡ ༻

One day I went to my hairdresser to get a trim. Initially I had planned to get my usual style freshened up, but at the last minute I found a diagram of the Middy Plus cut and popped it on my phone, just in case. 

I have been thinking about trialling that cut for a while, but when I asked my old hairdresser she pretty much said that she didn’t want to do the cut like that because she thought I wouldn’t like my hair being that short.  All well and good, but I sort of wanted to try it anyway!

So when I went back to the salon to have my first haircut with a new hairdresser I bit the bullet and rather haltingly asked her if she would do this “retro 1940s haircut for me because I sort of like to wearing vintage-y style outfits and I know it’s kind of random, but it’s fun and….”  Yeah. (≧ o ≦)

I was embarrassed ~ particularly after last time! But she was super sweet and loved that I had brought in an actual hairdresser’s diagram to show her.  {I took page number 3 ~ The Middy Plus}

 

I won’t lie; when she made the first cut into my hair, I died a little inside….  I hadn’t realized just how short 4 1/2 inches at the back is!!  Still, I reasoned with myself that my hair does tend to grow quickly to a certain length {and then it just stop altogether  : P } so if I really hated it, it would grow out.  Anyway this is the finished result:

I didn’t use any pin curls or rollers; just my natural curl with a bit of styling wax combed through it while it’s wet to control the frizz.  Overall I am super happy with the cut, but there are some downsides to getting an authentic cut.   Here’s my list of pros and cons.

 

~  Deciding on an Authentic Vintage Cut  ~

Pros:   

1. It’s very easy to look vintage with your hair out.
2. It’s super quick to do a pin curl set, or rollers.  And a lot easier!
3. It’s cute and it’s different.
4. It helps to keep era-ambiguous outfits period correct.  What I mean by that is that even though back in the 1940-50’s there would have been fashion cross-over, you can look a bit ‘muddled’ if you don’t try to stick fairly close to one era when you dress vintage now a days.  Fleur de Guerre once commented that vintage styled victory rolls was her best accessory for looking vintage and I agree.  Get your hair right and the rest follows ~ little things like correct make up, shoes, etc, don’t tend to matter as much then.

Cons:

1. You most likely will need to learn specific techniques for updo styles. The Middy Plus is supposed to be “a convenient length for updos” but I really haven’t found that even after having this cut for over two years. Low updos are easier, but high updos are quite tricky.
2. It’s short.  As in really short.  I can’t pull it into a ponytail which is a bit frustrating.  I have heard that a way around this problem is to ask the hairdresser to add length to the cut, so for instance, if the Long Length cut is still too short, ask them to do the cut but add 4” all around, making 6” at the back 10” long and the 3” at the side 7” and so on.
3. If you don’t want to look vintage, it’s a bit hard.  An authentic cut will immediately create a vintage, old fashioned air with any outfit.
4. Sometimes you think you look like a grandma….  And in an old way, not the good way.

༺ ♡ ༻

Like I briefly mentioned above, I’ve swung between the Middy Plus cut, and the longer variation, the Long Length cut, for over two years now.  I have changed my hair product approach and tend to use styling cream, combined with hairspray or hair mousse to control the curl.

While the cut does look better with a proper curl styling, like pin curls, I like that I can wear my natural curl and still style my hair with an authentic vintage appropriate look.  For a busy mother this is a decided advantage and I know I’ll never look back now, these two cuts are the only two I will try.  I like them both that much!

Have you ever thought about trying an authentic 1940’s cut?  What would appeal to you about it?

xox,

bonita

༺ ♡ ༻

Find me:

Instagram | missbjvear
Pinterest | bjvear
Ravelry | BJVear
Twitter | bjvear
Youtube | Bonita Vear