American Salon 0512 : Page 33
Miss USA 2011 Alyssa Campanella PHOTOGRAPHY: COURTESY OF FAROUK SYSTEMS (MISS UNIVERSE 2011); CORBIS (1925) American: The Beautiful Iconic looks that made hair history. The bathing beauties of the roaring ’20s didn’t have today’s technology to help them get runway-ready. Those ringlets were created by rag sets using old socks—strictly a do-it-yourself affair. And that roaring was probably the result of mishaps with Marcel irons that were heated on the stove top. From sausage curls to bouffants to the ultimate blow-out, pageant hair has come a long way, baby. 1925 ➥ Celebrating 135 years • Sponsored by
American the Beautiful
American Salon staff
American: <br /> The Beautiful<br /> <br /> Iconic looks that made hair history.<br /> <br /> The bathing beauties of the roaring ’20s didn’t have today’s technology to help them get runway-ready. Those ringlets were created by rag sets using old socks—strictly a do-it-yourself affair. And that roaring was probably the result of mishaps with Marcel irons that were heated on the stove top. From sausage curls to bouffants to the ultimate blow-out, pageant hair has come a long way, baby.<br /> <br /> <br /> American: <br /> The Beautiful<br /> <br /> Pageants not only set benchmarks for beauty, they can also provide a glimpse into society’s notions about the feminine ideal. In the 1950s, when women’s roles were more narrowly defined, pageant hairstyles resembled glammed-up versions of what we saw in the movies: women as wives and mothers. Pin-curl sets and permanent waves kept hair, first and foremost, under control. The 1970s saw longer, flowing locks with a more natural finish, as girl next door types like Ali MacGraw and Cybill Shepherd graced the pages of fashion magazines. In the 1980s, pageant hair took a sharp turn into big hair country, and there it stayed until just recently. “Over the last nine years, we’ve seen a shift to more wearable styles as opposed to the bigger hair of yesteryear,” says Farouk Shami, whose company Farouk Systems partners with the Miss Universe Organization, which also stages the Miss USA contest. “Pageant hair has given rise to some of the most iconic hairstyles of the industry,” he adds, making the case for pageants not just as reflections of the present ideal, but as the vanguards of what’s to come. <br /> <br /> “Although these women are undoubtedly the most beautiful on earth, none of them are born with perfect hair. With advanced American technology, we are able to make sure each strand falls just right so they can strut their stuff on stage. ”<br /> —Farouk Shami, Farouk Systems <br /> founder and chairman
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