A "bob cut" is a short haircut in which a weighted area is left to fall between the ears and chin. It became modern for women in the early 1920s, and in the 1970s it became popular as a men's style.
It was created in 1909 in Paris by the hairdresser Antoine, who was inspired by "Luana Cowley". In Britain it became popular in "Bloomsbury" circles before the end of the First World War, but was made widely popular in the 1920s by flappers. The American film star Colleen Moore was extremely influential in spreading the fashion around the world. At the time it was considered a sign of a liberated woman. In 1924 the razor cut or shingle bob was introduced.
Truus van Aalten popularized the bob cut in Europe.
In the 1960s, Vidal Sassoon made it popular again, using the shape of the early bob and making it more stylish in a simpler cut. Its resurgence coincided with the arrival of the "mop top" Beatle cut for men. Those associated with the bob at that time included the fashion designers Mary Quant and Jean Muir, actress Amanda Barrie, and singers as diverse as Cilla Black, Billie Davis, Juliette Gréco, Mireille Mathieu and Beverly Bivens of the American group We Five.
Many styles and combinations of the "bob" have evolved since. In the late 1980s, Siouxsie Sioux, lead singer of Siouxsie and the Banshees and Corinne Drewery singer of Swing Out Sister , had a bob cut for a short time. Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of American Vogue since 1988, apparently had hers trimmed every day (Times 2, 10 July 2006). In the early 1990s Cyndi Lauper had a bob haircut with very unusual colors, and then identified with Uma Thurman in the film Pulp Fiction in 1994.
In 2006 the bob was adopted by the singer Madonna and, as a move away from boho-chic, by actress Sienna Miller.
In November 2005, Canadian ice dancer Kristina Lenko was asked to join ITV1's new series, "Dancing on Ice." Needing something shorter than her then waist length cut, she went to her stylist in Toronto and told him "Do whatever you like." The result was an asymmetric Bob cut, which has since been heavily copied. Popularity of the cut in the UK and Ireland can be traced to the influence of fashion icon and ex Spice Girl Victoria Beckham having had her hair bobbed in the same style,[1] with girls asking hairdressers for a "Pob" - Ms Beckham's nickname Posh Spice conflated with "bob."
In 2007 R&B singer Rihanna had a bob haircut in the video for the international smash "Umbrella". She has stated that she got her inspiration from Charlize Theron in Æon Flux. Keira Knightley had a bob in her short TV ad for Coco Mademoiselle.