The Beatles revolutionized pop music with their unique melodic sound. But their pop culture status went far beyond just music. Their style caused controversy and changed fashion across the board – and that included their haircuts.

 

The mop-top cut (so called because the long, stringy hair style resembled the strands of a mop) was unlike anything people had seen before. Traditional cuts had been short and neat, carefully held in place with copious amounts of Brylcreem.    The Beatles haircuts were originally styled by Astrid Kircher, the girlfriend to original Beatles bassist Stuart Sutcliffe, and herself a rock photographer. The outrageous new cuts were long enough to touch ears, collars, and fall into the eyes.

 

When the Beatles came to American and found fame and fortune, they also found that kids were quickly copying their hair cuts. Boys rebelled against their parents and teachers by styling their hair long and loose to mimic their idols. But they met resistance. Viewed as a stance against authority, Beatles haircuts were banned in schools, and parents forbid their children to get the cut. But all was not lost. If the hair style was truly out of your reach, you could always buy a Beatles wig. That way, you could still rock out with your favorite band at the concert, but go home as a conservative young man to mom and dad.

 

The Beatles took advantage of the tremendous amount of press coverage their hair got with the introduction of a Beatles line of hair care products. There was no better way to care for your mop top than with a bottle of Beatles hairdressing lotion, followed up with an ample dosing of the Fab Four’s hairspray.

 

Looking back, the parental backlash against haircuts seems almost quaint. Little did the adults know what rock and roll had in store for them.