With the Coronation of HM King Charles III & HM Queen Camilla this month, it’s all crowns and pageantry, pomp and circumstance, commemorative plates and celebratory bunting! It's also ended up being the inspiration behind this month’s blog title, “Crowning Glories”! How could it not?
What exactly is a ‘Crowning Glory’? Well, it can be anything you want it to be really, can’t it? Something you’ve worked long and hard for, something you’ve achieved after much effort and sacrifice, after much trial and tribulation, maybe the final piece of that jigsaw which makes everything worthwhile. Then again, it can be a bit like the icing on the cake, the final cherry on top, the angel or star on top of the Xmas tree…you get the idea!
If you take it to the next level, where exactly does the crown go? Like that proverbial icing, cherry or angel, it goes on something, ah yes, it goes on your head! And, if you were looking at someone you didn’t know, someone you saw in the street maybe, what would be their most obvious ‘crowning glory’? What indeed? Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it…their hair or, to be more precise, their hairstyle, if they weren’t bald or wearing a hat that is! Think about all the ‘crowning glories’ there have been over the years! (Some good, some maybe not such a good idea, ‘the mullet’ is one prime example that springs to mind however that’s best left well alone!)
What about all those amazing hairstyles which became an individual’s own crowning glory, a statement of who they were, who they aspired to be, how they wanted to be seen and understood? Sometimes, our crowning glories were the best, sometimes the only, way to get ourselves noticed, to be a part of something bigger than ourselves, to belong somehow, as we tried to stay as fashionable or as on trend as we could! To be ‘in’! Whilst for others, even though the objectives were exactly the same, a statement of who they were, who they aspired to be, how they wanted to be seen and understood, they were an expression of how they didn’t belong, how they didn’t fit in or didn’t want to fit in! They didn’t want to be regarded as part of the mainstream, instead, they wanted to express their dissatisfaction with society, they wanted to show their rebellion, their non-acceptance of the norm, their distain of all things ‘fashionable’ and, in so doing, created their own trends and alternative mainstream!
Just think about it, from Mods to Rockers, from Goths to Punks, from Indie to Ska, Skinhead to Pop, from Preppy to Hippy, from Rock ’n’ Roll & The Swinging 60s to Woodstock & Disco, there were always definitive styles and haircuts to accompany them! Say Goth and you see the hair, see a Mohican and you think think Punk, visualise Mod and you have short, sleek, clean and very tidy hair! Whichever way you look at it, hairstyles have always been a very visible form of expression for everyone. From uber-trendy, art deco Angular Bobs in the 1920s to The Gamine Cut with its pixie style and dainty fringe made world-famous by Audrey Hepburn in the early 50s, from the slicked back hair of those dashing lead actors in the 30s to Elvis & Teddy Boys and their Quiffs of the 50s and 60s, from The Beatles to Sid Vicious, from New Romantics to Brit Pop! They all had something to say; they were a way to identify with some and not with others, a way of expressing who we were and, more importantly for some, who we weren’t! That still holds true today!
Hair is intensely personal and has huge psychological significance. It’s just as much a part of our identity, our mob, our tribe, as the clothes we wear! So, next time you go for a haircut just remember, it’s your Crowning Glory, your Signature Style, something you should be extremely proud of and treat with extra special care! Don’t just say to the hairdresser, “Do what you like!” or “Whatever you think is best.” Instead, tell the hairdresser exactly what you want and how you want it! You’re making a statement so know what you want to say! Don’t let somebody else do the talking for you!
If you want to be part of something extra special, the Groovelates tribe, and make a bit of a statement yourself, then head on over to our training packages where a whole world of retro awaits you! Create your own buzz and maybe start your own trend!
And, as for your hair, the bigger the better!
God Save The King…and the Queens!
by Sean Francis Cawley
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