Ponytail (magazine)
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A ponytail is a
hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut, or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head but sometimes on the face or body. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although ...
in which some, most, or all of the
hair Hair is a protein filament that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Hair is one of the defining characteristics of mammals. The human body, apart from areas of glabrous skin, is covered in follicles which produce thick terminal and ...
on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a
hair tie A hair tie (also called a ponytail holder, hairkeeper, hair band, hair elastic, wrap around, gogo, or bobble) is a styling aid used to fasten hair, particularly long hair, away from areas such as the face. This is usually done as part of a hai ...
, clip, or other similar accessory and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the tail of a
pony A pony is a type of small horse, usually measured under a specified height at maturity. Ponies often have thicker coats, manes and tails, compared to larger horses, and proportionally shorter legs, wider barrels, heavier , thicker necks and s ...
. Ponytails are most commonly gathered at the middle of the back of the head or the base of the neck but may also be worn at the side of the head (sometimes considered formal), or on the very top of the head. If the hair is divided so that it hangs in two sections, they are called ''ponytails'', ''twintails'', ''
pigtail A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...
s'', or ''
bunches A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...
'' if left loose and ''pigtails'', ''plaits'' or ''
braid A braid (also referred to as a plait; ) is a complex structure or pattern formed by interlacing three or more strands of flexible material such as textile yarns, wire, or hair. The simplest and most common version is a flat, solid, three-strand ...
s'' if plaited.


Ponytails on women and girls

The ponytail can be traced back to
Ancient Greece Ancient Greece () was a northeastern Mediterranean civilization, existing from the Greek Dark Ages of the 12th–9th centuries BC to the end of classical antiquity (), that comprised a loose collection of culturally and linguistically r ...
, from records of images depicting women with ponytails in ancient Greek artefacts and
artworks A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literatur ...
, such as the
frescoes Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
painted millennia ago in Cretes (2000–1500 BC).Sherrow, V., (2019).
''Encyclopedia Of Hair: a Cultural History''
" Santa Barbara: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Hence, it is likely that the ponytail hairstyle emerged in Ancient Greece before spreading to different cultures and regions, for
Egyptian ''Egyptian'' describes something of, from, or related to Egypt. Egyptian or Egyptians may refer to: Nations and ethnic groups * Egyptians, a national group in North Africa ** Egyptian culture, a complex and stable culture with thousands of year ...
and
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...
art also depict women wearing hair in a style that we now call the ponytail. In European and Western culture, it was unusual for women (as opposed to girls) to wear their hair in public in a ponytail until the mid-20th century. The ponytail hairstyle was popularized by the arrival of the
Barbie Barbie is a fashion doll created by American businesswoman Ruth Handler, manufactured by American toy and entertainment company Mattel and introduced on March 9, 1959. The toy was based on the German Bild Lilli doll, Bild Lilli doll which Hand ...
doll by
Mattel Mattel, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational corporation, multinational toy manufacturing and entertainment company headquartered in El Segundo, California. Founded in Los Angeles by Harold Matson and the husband-and-wife duo of Ruth Handler, ...
, and movie stars like
Sandra Dee Sandra Dee (born Alexandra Zuck; April 23, 1942 – February 20, 2005) was an American actress. Dee began her career as a child model, working first in commercials and then film in her teenage years. Best known for her portrayal of ingénues ...
who wore it in movies such as ''
Gidget Gidget () is a fictional character created by author Frederick Kohner (based on his teenage daughter, Kathy) in his 1957 novel, ''Gidget, the Little Girl with Big Ideas''. The novel follows the adventures of a teenage girl and her surfing friend ...
''. In the mid-1980s and through the mid-1990s it was common to see women of all ages from girls, tweens, teens, college and beyond wearing high ponytails or high side ponytails held with a
scrunchie A scrunchie (or scrunchy) is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types. The elastic hair tie is encased in loose fabric that forms a ruffle when twisted around a ponytail. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, u ...
. Both women and girls commonly wear their hair in ponytails in informal and office settings or when exercising with a scrunchie or tie; they are likely to choose more elaborate styles (such as braids and those involving accessories) for formal occasions. High and low ponytails are both common. Ponytails with a scrunchie are back in style and practicality as they are seen as better on the hair then traditional hair ties. The ponytail is popular with school-aged girls, partly because flowing hair is often associated with youth and because of its simplicity; a young girl is likely to be able to redo her own hair after a sports class, for example. Wearing a scrunchie with your ponytail is popular with school aged girls especially those with school uniforms as it is one piece of stylish item girls can wear as long as they conform to school colors or requirements. A ponytail can also be a fashion statement; sometimes meaning athletic; other times a low ponytail sends signals of a chic personality. A ponytail is a practical choice as it keeps hair out of the eyes when doing many jobs or hobbies. It is not uncommon to require long hair to be tied up for safety reasons in an environment like wood shops, laboratories, sporting activities, hospitals etc., even where hair nets are not mandatory. The ponytail, particularly a low ponytail, is often the most practical way to secure the hair.


As a male hairstyle


Historical

In Europe, in the second half of the 18th century (1751-1800), most men wore their hair long and tied back with a ribbon into what we would now describe as a ponytail, although it was sometimes gathered into a silk bag rather than allowed to hang freely. At that time, it was commonly known as '' queue'', the
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
word for "tail". The queue lost favor amongst civilians, but continued as the mandatory hairstyle for men in all European armies until the early 19th century. The
British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
was the first to dispense with it, and by the end of the
Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...
most armies had changed their regulations to make short hair compulsory. In Asia, the queue was a specifically male hairstyle worn by the
Manchu people The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic peoples, Tungusic East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized Ethnic minorities in China, ethnic minority in China and the people from wh ...
from central
Manchuria Manchuria is a historical region in northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day northeast China and parts of the modern-day Russian Far East south of the Uda (Khabarovsk Krai), Uda River and the Tukuringra-Dzhagdy Ranges. The exact ...
and later imposed on the
Han Chinese The Han Chinese, alternatively the Han people, are an East Asian people, East Asian ethnic group native to Greater China. With a global population of over 1.4 billion, the Han Chinese are the list of contemporary ethnic groups, world's la ...
during the
Qing dynasty The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing, was a Manchu-led Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China and an early modern empire in East Asia. The last imperial dynasty in Chinese history, the Qing dynasty was preceded by the ...
. From 1645 until 1910, Chinese men wore this waist-length
pigtail A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...
. The queue was utilised as a symbol of dominance over the Han Chinese by the Manchu people.Szczepanski, K. (9 May 2019).
Why Did Chinese Men Wear a Single Long Braid?
Being a Manchu hairstyle, it was imposed on the Han Chinese to force them into
submission Deference (also called submission or passivity) is the condition of submitting to the espoused, legitimate influence of one's superior or superiors. Deference implies a yielding or submitting to the judgment of a recognized superior, out of re ...
. The queue hairstyle involves shaving the rest of the hair on the front and sides of the head, leaving a meagre portion that is tightly tied into a braid. With this hairstyle, the Han Chinese could not grow their hair naturally and freely to style them as they normally did in their own culture, and were hence denied their cultural right to grow their hair comfortably, experiencing suppression and limited agency in the rule of the Qing. Any Han Chinese man who did not wear the queue was executed by beheading.Chin, S., & Fogel, J. A. (2015).
''The Taiping rebellion''
" London: Routledge.
This rule of law was upheld with the exception of monks, who attended monasteries and shaved their entire heads. For this reason alone, many Han Chinese left their homes for monasteries to protect their freedom from this symbol of domination. Otherwise, those who opposed the queue were perceived as threats to Qing culture and power and were purged. Many of the officials who contributed to the enforcement of this law were Han Chinese who defected to the Qing. The queue ended in 1910 after revolutions against the law through queue-cutting demonstrations, law revisions to make it more lax, and further queue-cutting demonstrations by Chinese influenced by Western democracy, all of which pressured reform of China's law. Not long after, the Qing dynasty ended in 1911 or 1912. Apart from origins in China, men in the
Edo period The , also known as the , is the period between 1600 or 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan, when the country was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and some 300 regional ''daimyo'', or feudal lords. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengok ...
(1683–1868) of Japan also wore short ponytails. Sumo wrestlers of Japan also wore their hair in a ponytail that is then styled in a fan shape. This hairstyle involving the ponytail continues in the culture of
sumo is a form of competitive full-contact wrestling where a ''rikishi'' (wrestler) attempts to force his opponent out of a circular ring (''dohyō'') or into touching the ground with any body part other than the soles of his feet (usually by th ...
wrestlers today.


Recent history

In the 1970s, many men wore their hair long and in ponytails. This look was popularized by 1970s-era rock musicians. In the late 1980s, a short ponytail was seen as an impudent, edgy look for men who wanted to individualize, but keep their hair flat and functional (see mullet).
Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...
's ponytail in ''
Marked for Death ''Marked for Death'' is a 1990 American action film directed by Dwight H. Little. The film stars Steven Seagal as John Hatcher, a former DEA troubleshooter who returns to his Illinois hometown to find it taken over by a posse of vicious Jamaic ...
'' is an example. (Also see ''
Man bun A bun is a type of hairstyle in which the hair is pulled back from the face, twisted or plaited, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself, typically on top or back of the head or just above the neck. A bun can be secured with a hair tie, b ...
'').


Scientific studies

The first equation of state for hair was developed by C. F. van Wyk in 1946. Scientists in the UK have formulated a
mathematical model A mathematical model is an abstract and concrete, abstract description of a concrete system using mathematics, mathematical concepts and language of mathematics, language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed ''mathematical m ...
that predicts the shape of a ponytail given the length and random curvature (or curliness) of a sample of individual hairs. The Ponytail Shape Equation provides an understanding of how a ponytail is swelled by the outward pressure which arises from interactions between the component hairs.Science behind ponytail revealed
"(2012, 13 February)
The researchers developed a general
continuum theory In the mathematical field of point-set topology, a continuum (plural: "continua") is a nonempty compact connected metric space, or, less frequently, a compact connected Hausdorff space. Continuum theory is the branch of topology devoted to the st ...
for a bundle of hairs, treating each hair as an elastic filament with random intrinsic curvature. From this they created a differential equation for the shape of the bundle relating the elasticity, gravity, and orientational disorder and extracted a simple
equation of state In physics and chemistry, an equation of state is a thermodynamic equation relating state variables, which describe the state of matter under a given set of physical conditions, such as pressure, volume, temperature, or internal energy. Most mo ...
to relate the swelling pressure to the measured random curvatures of individual hairs.Goldstein, R. E., Warren, P. B., & Ball, R. C. (2012).
Shape of a Ponytail and the Statistical Physics of Hair Fiber Bundles
" ''Physical Review Letters'', 108(7).
The equation itself is a fourth order non linear differential equation. The Rapunzel number is a ratio used in this equation to calculate the effects of gravity on hair relative to its length. This number determines whether a ponytail looks like a fan or whether it arcs over and becomes nearly vertical at the bottom. A short ponytail of springy hair with a low Rapunzel number, fans outward. A long ponytail with a high Rapunzel number, hangs down, as the pull of gravity overwhelms the springiness. It is now also known why jogger's ponytails swing side to side.Keller, J. B. (2010).
Ponytail Motion
" ''SIAM Journal on Applied Mathematics'', 70(7), 2667–2672.
An up and down motion is too unstable: a ponytail cannot sway forward and backward because the jogger's head is in the way. Any slight jostling causes the up and down movement to become a side to side sway. The research on the shape of the ponytail won the authors the
Ig Nobel The Ig Nobel Prize () is a satirical prize awarded annually since 1991 to promote public engagement with scientific research. Its aim is to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think." The name of the award is a ...
for Physics in 2012. The Rapunzel number is important for the
computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images and art with the aid of computers. Computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. ...
and
animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...
industry, as it helps animators resolve challenges relating to the realistic digital representation of hair and hair movement.


Health issues

It is common for those who wear tight ponytails to experience
traction alopecia Traction alopecia is a type of alopecia or hair loss caused by a chronic pulling force being applied to the hair. It commonly results from a person frequently wearing their hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids with increased ...
, a form of hair loss. It has been proven that traction alopecia is highly associated with hair-pulling hairstyles, including the ponytail, and that hairstyles involving less tension are not associated with this condition.Johns Hopkins Medicine. (27 April 2016).
All hairstyles are not created equal: Scalp-pulling and hair loss: What dermatologists need to know about African-American hairstyling practices and the risk of traction alopecia
" ''ScienceDaily''.
Sometimes it can cause a headache.James, William; Berger, Timothy; Elston, Dirk (2005).
''Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology''
" (10th ed.). Saunders.
Freedberg, et al. (2003).
''Fitzpatrick's Dermatology in General Medicine''
" (6th ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Additionally, people who wear ponytails may experience extracranial headaches due to tension from prolonged tying of the hairs together in a bundle, pulling at the skin of the head.Blau, J. N. (2004).
Ponytail Headache: A Pure Extracranial Headache
" ''Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain'', 44(5), 411–413.
The pain that results is also because the ponytail pulls at the nerves in the scalp around the face, resulting in light to serious headaches or migraines. Loosening the ponytail may relieve pain and the headache, though the extent of this varies for different individuals.


See also

*
List of hairstyles This is a non-exhaustive list of hairstyles, excluding List of facial hairstyles, facial hairstyles. Short hairstyles Long hairstyles Long hairstyles may be considered those which reach beyond the shoulders on women, or require long hair to c ...


References


External links

* * *Whitaker, H. (7 December 2018). A cultural history of the ponytail. https://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcthree/article/361f113b-7edd-4589-8d2f-f1292537e1ba {{Human hair Hairstyles