One must go all the way back to the 18t century to trace the roots of the lofty hairstyle, the pompadour. It was Marquise de Pompadour, one of Louis XV’s mistresses that began the trend of the highly-teased, high maintenance hairdos that would carry her name through the ages and go on to become a hairstyle fit for a king.
That king was, of course, the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. Along with his rocker brethren, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard (to name but a few), he popularized the rebellious hairstyle that would be imitated by scores of teens. A variation of the pompadour look, known as the “Duck Tail” or “D.A.” for short, featured a feathered back, accentuated by an off-the-forehead high crown of sculpted hair that could only be achieved through hours of meticulous styling.
To aid in the building of a proper pompadour, generous helpings of grease and/or pomade were introduced into the follicles to aid in the sculpting process. Boys often spent a great deal of time in front of a mirror, meticulously combing and lifting and smoothing and combing and lifting and, well, you get the picture. But when, at last, the perfect shape was achieved, it was an accomplishment to be admired.
The pompadour didn’t enjoy the same level of popularity in the 60s but made a lofty comeback in the disco era, thanks to John Travolta’s stylish do in the film, Saturday Night Fever. Luckily for Mr. Travolta, hair technology had caught up a bit by this time, and rather than rely on a paw full of grease - gel and hairspray, along with the sidearm of an industrial strength blow dryer, made the laborious look much easier to achieve. Of course, the lads from previous generations would certainly consider that to be cheating.
That king was, of course, the King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley. Along with his rocker brethren, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard (to name but a few), he popularized the rebellious hairstyle that would be imitated by scores of teens. A variation of the pompadour look, known as the “Duck Tail” or “D.A.” for short, featured a feathered back, accentuated by an off-the-forehead high crown of sculpted hair that could only be achieved through hours of meticulous styling.
To aid in the building of a proper pompadour, generous helpings of grease and/or pomade were introduced into the follicles to aid in the sculpting process. Boys often spent a great deal of time in front of a mirror, meticulously combing and lifting and smoothing and combing and lifting and, well, you get the picture. But when, at last, the perfect shape was achieved, it was an accomplishment to be admired.
The pompadour didn’t enjoy the same level of popularity in the 60s but made a lofty comeback in the disco era, thanks to John Travolta’s stylish do in the film, Saturday Night Fever. Luckily for Mr. Travolta, hair technology had caught up a bit by this time, and rather than rely on a paw full of grease - gel and hairspray, along with the sidearm of an industrial strength blow dryer, made the laborious look much easier to achieve. Of course, the lads from previous generations would certainly consider that to be cheating.
