View Full Version : NYT: A Haircut Returns from the 1930s
Yozhik
November 16th, 2011, 02:07 PM
In light of the numerous recent discussions concerning whether certain haircuts are political statements, I thought some of you would be interested in this recent New York Times article about the resurgence of a certain male haircut from the 1930s, which many people call the "Hitler Youth" haircut.
What are your opinions? Is a haircut just a haircut, or should we consider it within a broader historic context? Or is looking at the history of a haircut irrelevant to how people wear it today?
Here's the article (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/17/fashion/a-haircut-returns-from-the-1930s.html?_r=1) (there is also a brief slideshow where you can see the haircut), and I'll copy it to this thread for those who have slow connections:
A Haircut Returns From the 1930s
By Alex Willilams
CLEAN-CUT young men have been going to F.S.C. Barber in the West Village and asking for the same haircut: buzzed on the sides, longer on top and slicked back with a dab of pomade. You could call it a modified McSqueeb, a J. Edgar Hoover or maybe a Jimmy Darmody, after the character in “Boardwalk Empire.”
But a lot of them just ask for a Hitler Youth, said Sam Buffa, a founding partner of the barbershop. “I was trying to not use that” term, he added.
The old-school coif has become a go-to haircut not just for Web designers in heritage-brand clothing, but for fashion designers and D.J.’s in the style capitals of Europe.
“I think it goes along with a newly restored romance for tailoring, the cut and craftsmanship you see with this current heritage trend,” said Scott Schuman, a photographer who has captured men with the hairstyle in London, Paris and New York for his blog, the Sartorialist (http://www.thesartorialist.com/).
Mr. Schuman has even worn the hairstyle himself, though he was unaware of the Hitler association. “You pick up a Doisneau book, or any photography book of Paris in the ’30s, and almost all the guys had that cut,” he said.
Lately, variations have been spotted on Win Butler of the band Arcade Fire (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/organizations/a/arcade_fire/index.html?inline=nyt-org); Hedi Slimane (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/10/fashion/hedi-slimane-designer-turned-photographer-at-the-top-of-his-game-again.html), the French fashion designer-turned-photographer; and Cole Mohr, a model. David Lynch has made a tonsorial trademark out of his vertical variation on the look.
It’s unlikely that these men are referencing totalitarianism. But even if the hairstyle feels modern, it’s easy for some people who have seen more than 15 minutes of “Triumph of the Will,” the 1935 Nazi propaganda film, to squirm at the sight of those buzzed temples and flopping forelocks.
Europeans shy away from terms for it that could hint of fascism. In Stockholm, the haircut is so widespread that television sports announcers wear it, said Sofia Hedstrom, a Swedish fashion journalist in New York. There are lots of names for it, she added, including the “synth,” owing to cuts worn by ’80s bands like New Order and Modern English.
In Berlin, where National Socialist connotations are more troubling, variations on the hairstyle have become common in fashionable quarters of Mitte and Prenzlauer Berg, said Annika von Taube, the editor in chief of Sleek (http://www.sleek-mag.com/), an art and fashion magazine there. But no one associates it with fascism, ironically or not.
“We usually refer to this cut as the ‘undercut,’ and there are gazillions of variations, for boys and girls,” Ms. von Taube said. “We are aware that non-Germans refer to it as the ‘jugend’ ” — German for “youth” — “or the ‘Hitler’ even. Maybe it’s a case of selective perception.”
A version of this article appeared in print on November 17, 2011, on page E12 of the New York edition with the headline: A Haircut Returns From the 1930s.
uptosomeone
November 16th, 2011, 02:11 PM
I'm not sure how I feel about hairstyles and how they pertain to political things, but on a guy with sharp features I think that that cut looks really dashing! :)
Amber_Maiden
November 16th, 2011, 02:18 PM
Very interesting. I wonder what others have to say about this?
Personally, I have a hard tim with thins associated with Hitler and the Natzis... It bothers me quite a bit. I grew up watching and reading books about the Holocaust.
That said, this is a hair cut. It's just hair. It does not bother me. People have to give it a new name and go with that... We don't look at people who shave their heads and call them skin heads...
moxamoll
November 16th, 2011, 02:18 PM
The thing is that styles go around and around. Just because this particular one was associated with the Hitler Youth at that time, doesn't necessarily mean that everyone getting it now shares the political viewpoint! I think that there is currently a trend in mens' fashion away from casual clothes and back to a more formal polished look. This hair style just goes well with that!
I think that for anyone who lived through the war or who had family members who were deeply affected by it, I would understand if the style evoked bad memories. But I tend to think of this now as reclaiming the style for good things. So unless they've got swastikas and are proclaiming themselves uber-men - I'm calling it just a hairstyle.
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 02:19 PM
I don't get Hitler from those haircuts. Didn't Hitler have a very severe side part? I mean, I think if I saw someone with that same haircut, severe side part and the toothbrush mustache I might think that gee that guy looks like Hitler and was that an accident or is that what he's going for? I'd never ask, because I'm not going to go up to a guy that looks like Hitler and ask anything, but I'd be thinking it.
But these haircuts look very modern to me. I think they call it the "Hitler Youth" just to be ironic and maybe shocking, at least for Americans. Germans probably don't think it's funny.
oktobergoud
November 16th, 2011, 02:20 PM
Honestly? I think hair is hair. There are a lot of cuts from the past that make it's comeback every now and then, it's the same for the 'hitler jugend' cut, as they call it. I don't associate it with Hitler or anything, just with hair. I actually love that cut and have had it myself!
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 02:23 PM
We don't look at people who shave their heads and call them skin heads...
It depends on where you live. I lived in Delaware for a while, and if you saw a bald young man get into a pickup truck with a confederate bumper sticker, you basically called him a skin head. People were aware of it and didn't shave their heads if they didn't want to be identified that way.
I'm just saying. It still exists in some parts of the country, which really sucks because you should be able to shave your head if you want without stigma.
oktobergoud
November 16th, 2011, 02:23 PM
I don't get Hitler from those haircuts. Didn't Hitler have a very severe side part? I mean, I think if I saw someone with that same haircut, severe side part and the toothbrush mustache I might think that gee that guy looks like Hitler and was that an accident or is that what he's going for? I'd never ask, because I'm not going to go up to a guy that looks like Hitler and ask anything, but I'd be thinking it.
But these haircuts look very modern to me. I think they call it the "Hitler Youth" just to be ironic and maybe shocking, at least for Americans. Germans probably don't think it's funny.
It's not about the hair Hitler had, but about the Hitler Jugend. If you google it you can see what the hair is like :) I do recognize their hair in nowadays haircuts, but still.. it's just hair!
Coan-Teen
November 16th, 2011, 02:29 PM
I think hair is just hair, and a style is just an aesthetic appreciation. I think the hairstyle can look really good when tailored to individual features.
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 02:32 PM
It's not about the hair Hitler had, but about the Hitler Jugend. If you google it you can see what the hair is like :) I do recognize their hair in nowadays haircuts, but still.. it's just hair!
Please excuse this oblivious American youth. :o
Maraz
November 16th, 2011, 02:35 PM
But a lot of them just ask for a Hitler Youth, said Sam Buffa, a founding partner of the barbershop.
To me, the telling point is in the above. The only question I have about the people asking for that cut 'by name' is, are they the South Park generation, 'we'll say what we want, we're sick of being politically correct' kids you find all over the internet, or is bigotry once again on the rise in the United States? I hope it's the former.
pepperminttea
November 16th, 2011, 02:52 PM
I personally don't associate the haircut particularly strongly with that, so it doesn't bother me. :shrug: I do think it'll be a long while yet though before the toothbrush moustache can be redeemed...
Cassie 123
November 16th, 2011, 02:52 PM
There's nothing wrong with the haircut; people are just being insensitive in calling it that. It's like calling a white tank top a "wifebeater". :rolleyes: Who decided that would be funny?
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 03:06 PM
Love this, lol. I do not advocate violence. I do see this as funny.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hitler%20youth
"Hitler youth
[/URL][URL="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hitler%20youth#"] (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hitler%20youth#)
A hairstyle where the sides and back are shaved and the top is grown out, bangs usually go right above the eyebrows at least.
skinhead goes and gets a hitler youth
*goes to bar*
gets his ass kicked"
oktobergoud
November 16th, 2011, 03:28 PM
Please excuse this oblivious American youth. :o
Haha it's okay! I do think they called it 'the hitler' in the article as well.. but eventually it is all based on the hitler jugend hairstyles :P
Lissandria
November 16th, 2011, 03:34 PM
I rather like it. It has old-world appeal on the right person. However, the name is slightly controversial... I could never bring myself to walk into a barbershop and ask for a Hitler Youth..
ericthegreat
November 16th, 2011, 04:03 PM
Oh dear heavens. :rolleyes:
Its a *bleeping* haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've seen variations of this very same kind of haircut on all sorts of men both young and old, some of them I know as good friends. None of these men are Neo-Nazi anarchists.
Just because a particular subset of hateful people adopted a certain haircut or even a particular look doesn't mean that other people can't wear that same look without misrepresenting themselves. Again, we should all be looking at who the person is on the inside, not what he or she happens to choose to look like on the outside.
Yozhik
November 16th, 2011, 04:19 PM
The people who I have met who have this haircut tend to be non-conformist/hipster type people, so I think that the historical significance of the cut must either be ironic to them, or a connotation they're unaware of.
I actually helped buzz one of my (female) friend's sides for this cut, so I'm certainly not against people wearing it as a contemporary style; I was just curious for others opinions about the style's origins (which I think are more about the 1930s in a broader sense, rather than that of Hitler Youth in particular).
spidermom
November 16th, 2011, 04:22 PM
I don't think this haircut ever completely went away.
Athena's Owl
November 16th, 2011, 04:29 PM
what? It's a high top fade for white guys. what's the problem?
slz
November 16th, 2011, 04:39 PM
what? It's a high top fade for white guys. what's the problem?
I think the problerm is when you ask for it calling it a hitler youth cut.
spike316
November 16th, 2011, 05:30 PM
I think that with a lot of things like this it's about intent more than anything else. Someone may do this because they like the nazi party (unfortunately there are still those), but they may also not make any association with the nazi party and the haircut because of how many other people have had it and maybe they just like it. Personally I think hitler's mustache made more of a statement than his hair. I never really thought about it though.
EdG
November 16th, 2011, 06:15 PM
That haircut reminds me of Michael Binkley from the "Bloom County" comic strip.
Ed
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 06:25 PM
It is actually variation of a military haircut that was modified and adopted for Hitler Youth. I can see if someone asks for it under a different name, like a high top with a specific fringe not realizing what it may mean to others, if one is ignorant of its history.
Asking for it by its common name - Hitler Youth does not necessarily mean the wearer is a fascist. It may indicate that. It does to me mean they have extremely poor judgement at best.
Unless said wearer skipped one too many history classes, they should know the Nazi connection by the name. If they wear the haircut with that knowledge, they should have good exit strategies when out.
How it got revived from its origins to now I have not determined yet.
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 06:41 PM
Oh dear heavens. :rolleyes:
Its a *bleeping* haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I've seen variations of this very same kind of haircut on all sorts of men both young and old, some of them I know as good friends. None of these men are Neo-Nazi anarchists.
Just because a particular subset of hateful people adopted a certain haircut or even a particular look doesn't mean that other people can't wear that same look without misrepresenting themselves. Again, we should all be looking at who the person is on the inside, not what he or she happens to choose to look like on the outside.
I do agree on one only point. It is a *bleeping* haircut. I do not mean that the way you do though.
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 06:48 PM
what? It's a high top fade for white guys. what's the problem?
:rollin:
Seriously, though, I interpret the spirit of the thread as: "Here's an article about hair I found. Discuss." Some people think it's a problem, some people don't. That's how it rolls when it's subjective. I love these threads and all the different perspectives. :)
Avital88
November 16th, 2011, 07:04 PM
wow i saw this picture and i immediatly had to think of Mr. H(i dont like to spell his name) but i guess we need to move on and accept people wanting to wear this *cough* great *cough* hairstyle.
I personally dont understand that there are people out there who want anything associated with someone so bad.. especially in Europe where everyone knows the history..
And in my opinion, no haircut is just a haircut, if you want to have a special cut its usually for a special reason, right..?else u would just buzz it off or cut a regular cut
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 07:20 PM
else u would just buzz it off or cut a regular cut
Not if you like it, it looks good on you, and you're ignorant of the history. I don't know about Europe but my generation in America is by and large clueless. They would not see this haircut and associate it with Hitler. You can see from my comment above that I didn't know they meant "Hitler Youth" as an actual thing and not Hitler himself.
And a lot of American kids are myopic enough to not be bothered by asking for a "Hitler Youth." To them the Hitler caricature is a bit of a joke (a la South Park, as someone mentioned).
This isn't a good thing, but what it means is that people with this haircut are not necessarily supporting Hitler's ideals or anything. I think the vast majority of them are ignorant to it.
Besides, it's a nice hair cut. It was around before Hitler and it's been long enough for it to make a come back. Someone else mentioned, it can be like a sort of cultural healing. Now we can take our hair cut back from the Nazi's. Otherwise, in a way they're still controlling us.
Avital88
November 16th, 2011, 07:30 PM
Not if you like it, it looks good on you, and you're ignorant of the history. I don't know about Europe but my generation in America is by and large clueless. They would not see this haircut and associate it with Hitler. You can see from my comment above that I didn't know they meant "Hitler Youth" as an actual thing and not Hitler himself.
And a lot of American kids are myopic enough to not be bothered by asking for a "Hitler Youth." To them the Hitler caricature is a bit of a joke (a la South Park, as someone mentioned).
This isn't a good thing, but what it means is that people with this haircut are not necessarily supporting Hitler's ideals or anything. I think the vast majority of them are ignorant to it.
Besides, it's a nice hair cut. It was around before Hitler and it's been long enough for it to make a come back. Someone else mentioned, it can be like a sort of cultural healing. Now we can take our hair cut back from the Nazi's. Otherwise, in a way they're still controlling us.
I cant see how anyone could like something with such a cruel past.. Then we could also get the 'Swastika" back as home decoration and see that as cultural healing.. Where i come from, Both Holland and Israel i think it will not be an appreciated cut to get..
I'm not talking about America though, i noticed most people dont know so much about the details but these things are far more sensitive in Europe because we learn about the holocaust from the 3th or 4th grade already..
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 07:44 PM
Not if you like it, it looks good on you, and you're ignorant of the history. I don't know about Europe but my generation in America is by and large clueless. They would not see this haircut and associate it with Hitler. You can see from my comment above that I didn't know they meant "Hitler Youth" as an actual thing and not Hitler himself.
And a lot of American kids are myopic enough to not be bothered by asking for a "Hitler Youth." To them the Hitler caricature is a bit of a joke (a la South Park, as someone mentioned).
This isn't a good thing, but what it means is that people with this haircut are not necessarily supporting Hitler's ideals or anything. I think the vast majority of them are ignorant to it.
Besides, it's a nice hair cut. It was around before Hitler and it's been long enough for it to make a come back. Someone else mentioned, it can be like a sort of cultural healing. Now we can take our hair cut back from the Nazi's. Otherwise, in a way they're still controlling us.
That is just it. I do not believe it was around before then or it would be called by its "actual" name.
I looked through pictures of a lot of military haircuts - that specific cut seems specific to Hitler Youth. It is the front fringe - not the shaved sides that defines it.
Orangerthanred
November 16th, 2011, 07:52 PM
I don't particularly like the cut. It's like an extra wide Mohawk, in my opinion. But whatever floats their boats..
Toadstool
November 16th, 2011, 08:01 PM
I cant see how anyone could like something with such a cruel past.. Then we could also get the 'Swastika" back as home decoration and see that as cultural healing.. Where i come from, Both Holland and Israel i think it will not be an appreciated cut to get..
I'm not talking about America though, i noticed most people dont know so much about the details but these things are far more sensitive in Europe because we learn about the holocaust from the 3th or 4th grade already..
People do use the swastika as a home decoration because it is a symbol for peace which was misappropriated by the Nazis.
I have a buzzed sidecut because I think it looks cool. I made no associations with the Hitler jugend. In fact my grandmother is German and in the 1930s her father refused to allow her to join the Hitler Jugend because he disagreed fundamentally with their principles.
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 08:09 PM
People do use the swastika as a home decoration because it is a symbol for peace which was misappropriated by the Nazis.
I have a buzzed sidecut because I think it looks cool. I made no associations with the Hitler jugend. In fact my grandmother is German and in the 1930s her father refused to allow her to join the Hitler Jugend because he disagreed fundamentally with their principles.
That is correct, however, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
"The German (and Austrian) postwar criminal code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch) makes the public showing of the Hakenkreuz (the swastika) and other Nazi symbols illegal and punishable, except for scholarly reasons. It is even censored from the lithographs on boxes of model kits, and the decals that come in the box. Modellers seeking an accurate rendition often have to either stencil on the marking, or purchase separate decals. It is also censored from the reprints of 1930s railway timetables published by the Reichsbahn. The eagle remains, but appears to be holding a solid black circle between its talons. The swastikas on Hindu and Jain temples are exempt, as religious symbols cannot be banned in Germany."
holothuroidea
November 16th, 2011, 08:20 PM
I cant see how anyone could like something with such a cruel past.. Then we could also get the 'Swastika" back as home decoration and see that as cultural healing.. Where i come from, Both Holland and Israel i think it will not be an appreciated cut to get..
I'm not talking about America though, i noticed most people dont know so much about the details but these things are far more sensitive in Europe because we learn about the holocaust from the 3th or 4th grade already..
I learned about the Holocaust when I was 9. I don't think it's a lack of education, but a cultural distance from the incident. We were involved in the war, but not until later on and not because of Hitler. It's a tradition of isolationism. Again, I'm not saying it's a good thing. It just is. Hopefully, though, I think it's changing.
Anyway, if we start putting up swastikas as decoration that means the fear is gone and Hitler has lost his grip on us. We're not ready for that but when we are it will be a good thing. It doesn't mean we forget, it just means we have moved on.
Toadstool
November 16th, 2011, 08:20 PM
That is correct, however, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swastika
"The German (and Austrian) postwar criminal code (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strafgesetzbuch) makes the public showing of the Hakenkreuz (the swastika) and other Nazi symbols illegal and punishable, except for scholarly reasons. It is even censored from the lithographs on boxes of model kits, and the decals that come in the box. Modellers seeking an accurate rendition often have to either stencil on the marking, or purchase separate decals. It is also censored from the reprints of 1930s railway timetables published by the Reichsbahn. The eagle remains, but appears to be holding a solid black circle between its talons. The swastikas on Hindu and Jain temples are exempt, as religious symbols cannot be banned in Germany."
Well, I can understand why it would be illegal in that context.
I maintain however that my hair has nothing to do with it.
ktani
November 16th, 2011, 08:27 PM
Well, I can understand why it would be illegal in that context.
I maintain however that my hair has nothing to do with it.
To you no, as you did not make the association. Others may and that may be tricky for you. As I said the haircut does not define the wearer's politics necessarily. It can though.
ETA: I am still searching for the origins of the haircut's revival. Nothing yet but I looked at forums and there are several discussions on the topic including how one gets the cut and does "not get beat up" by their Jewish friends. No, I do not find that amusing.
However, the forum I just went on by accident because I looked at it more closely after reading posts is a white "nationalist" forum that shall not be linked here, and the haircut is extremely popular among the like minded. Be warned. They and others may see you as one of them.
LadyKate
November 16th, 2011, 10:39 PM
I think a lot of people will make the argument that it's just a hairstyle, and it's the intent that's important, not the look. Also that we should judge people my what's inside, not what's on the outside. However, I think that this viewpoint is fundamentally naive. We all make initial judgements based on appearance, and while this is sometimes unfair, it's important to realize that the way we present ourselves outwardly DOES say something about who we are inside. We've all had the day where we were sick and felt terrible, so we didn't bother to dress to the standards we might normally, whether that means wearing no makeup and pjs, or simply choosing the looser fitting outfit for comfort. The hairstyles we choose, the makeup that we wear (or don't) and the clothes that we dress ourselves in say something about who we are. Other people may not interpret it in the way that you meant it, but it still says something. If there is a certain image that society strongly associates with a certain lifestyle (and we all know that these exist), then projecting that image is a decision on our part. If I dyed my hair black, started wearing all black clothes, and heavy black eyeliner and lipstick, people would assume that I was "Goth" whether I thought of myself that way or not, whether I knew what a goth was or not. The same is true of this hairstyle. Whether or not these kids are ignorant of the hairstyle's historical signifigance (and if they're referring to it as the "hitler youth" they must be somewhat aware), they've chosen to present themselves in this way, and they must live with the connotations.
GlennaGirl
November 16th, 2011, 10:50 PM
Somehow, it looks very 80s to me. I wouldn't associate this cut with Bergen-Belsen but more likely, with A Flock of Seagulls.
Cassie 123
November 17th, 2011, 05:15 AM
Somehow, it looks very 80s to me. I wouldn't associate this cut with Bergen-Belsen but more likely, with A Flock of Seagulls.
Haha, yes! The '80's were my formative years, and this looks like an incredibly ordinary haircut to me. Only the stupid name is new.
oktobergoud
November 17th, 2011, 05:21 AM
I cant see how anyone could like something with such a cruel past.. Then we could also get the 'Swastika" back as home decoration and see that as cultural healing.. Where i come from, Both Holland and Israel i think it will not be an appreciated cut to get..
I'm not talking about America though, i noticed most people dont know so much about the details but these things are far more sensitive in Europe because we learn about the holocaust from the 3th or 4th grade already..
That's funny though, I'm from the Netherlands and I see that cut EVERYWHERE! It's actually a very modern, fashionable cut! Heck, I even had it myself! I never heard offensive comments about it, really. I don't even think people here associate it with the Hitler Jugend!! Most people are too young to 'know' the Hitler Jugend anyway. I mean, we have learned about it at school, of course, but I never really remembered how the Hitler Jugend's hair looked like, really! I had to google it before I saw the connection, and I think most people will..
Haha, yes! The '80's were my formative years, and this looks like an incredibly ordinary haircut to me. Only the stupid name is new.
Exactly, it's just the name that make people think it's offensive.. but this cut has probably been there before and after the Hitler Jugend! I think the name is offensive, yes, not the cut...
Alaia
November 17th, 2011, 06:31 AM
I know loads of guys at the theatre who have that haircut and they definitely have no idea it may ever have had anything to do with the Hitler Youth!
Those who ask specifically for "a hitler youth" cut are a bit ... interesting... though.
QMacrocarpa
November 17th, 2011, 07:10 AM
This cut pre-dates the 1930's. Looking at the photos, my first association was with Julian Sands' cut in A Room with a View (http://janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.com/2011/10/room-with-view-1985.html), a close adaptation of a book published in 1908. Even if they changed the time-frame of the story a bit in the film, it's definitely pre-World-War-I.
I also thought of the "Arrow Collar Man", and here's (http://www.periodpaper.com/index.php/subject-advertising-art/ads-by-famous-illustrators/j-c-leyendecker/1920-ad-marcy-arrow-collar-young-man-j-c-leyendecker) an Arrow ad from 1920, two years before the Hitler Youth existed.
ktani
November 17th, 2011, 07:49 AM
This cut pre-dates the 1930's. Looking at the photos, my first association was with Julian Sands' cut in A Room with a View (http://janeaustenfilmclub.blogspot.com/2011/10/room-with-view-1985.html), a close adaptation of a book published in 1908. Even if they changed the time-frame of the story a bit in the film, it's definitely pre-World-War-I.
I also thought of the "Arrow Collar Man", and here's (http://www.periodpaper.com/index.php/subject-advertising-art/ads-by-famous-illustrators/j-c-leyendecker/1920-ad-marcy-arrow-collar-young-man-j-c-leyendecker) an Arrow ad from 1920, two years before the Hitler Youth existed.
That is not what I see when I look at actual pictures of the cut on propaganda from the time.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=hitler%20youth
"Hitler youth A hairstyle where the sides and back are shaved and the top is grown out, bangs usually go right above the eyebrows at least."
ETA: The actual history of the Hitler Youth goes back further than the 30's, http://www.holocaustresearchproject.org/holoprelude/hitleryouth.html
RedheadMistress
November 17th, 2011, 01:35 PM
- Never really thought this haircut went away, I see it all the time and have done, especially in the swedish synth scene or industrial scene in London . . It's beautiful !
sibyl
November 17th, 2011, 03:14 PM
It's definitely not just a "Hitler youth" cut if you at it historically. It was popular for men in general in the 20s, 30s, and 40s.
I am pretty repulsed by anything associated with the Nazis but I think it is a very attractive haircut that shouldn't be getting a bad name. (:
McFearless
November 17th, 2011, 03:26 PM
This hairstyle existed before Hitler and I have no problem with people wearing it now. Somebody who refers to their haircut proudly as a hitler haircut, well, they can eff off. Thats sick. I can't imagine wants to associate myself with that monster.
And the swastika is quite different. Hitler flipped the symbol, so its not the same "wheel of life" symbol sacred to Buddhism. Its important to make the distinction.
Athena's Owl
November 17th, 2011, 05:54 PM
Somehow, it looks very 80s to me. I wouldn't associate this cut with Bergen-Belsen but more likely, with A Flock of Seagulls.
yes. This cut was really popular among the postpunks and clean-cut goths in the 80s. my boyfriend at the time had this cut in platinum blonde because he could wear it slicked and it was acceptable and then whip out the pompadour for the weekend.
when it comes to the association with the national socialist party of Germany, well. I always thought of that particular cut as a product of the Edwardian period some 30 years earlier. It was not exclusive - it's not even new. but those men going into the barbershop today asking for a Hitler Youth need slaps upside the backs of their pointy little heads, as my grandfather used to say. He even wore this haircut! I saw pictures of him with his 3c hair slicked back shiny in perfect tight waves, and the rest of it was high fade (he showed me the pictures when I came home with this haircut in the late 80s.)
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