The pompadour is a hairstyle named after

Madame de Pompadour Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...

(1721–1764), a mistress of King

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

of France. Although there are numerous variations of the style for men, women, and children, the basic concept is having a large volume of hair swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead, and sometimes upswept around the sides and back as well. Despite the name, this hairstyle has nothing in common with the hairstyle of Madame de Pompadour, who wore her hair back rather than up, with no extra volume on the top. The name was coined in the 20th century.

History

Adding vertical volume on top of the head, by combing the hair back and up above the forehead, is a trend that originated in women's hairstyles of the royal court in France, first in the 1680s, and again in the second half of the 18th century, long before and after Madame de Pompadour. In 1680, King

Louis XIV , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Vers ...

loved the way his mistress the Duchess of Fontanges arranged her hair after she fell from her horse. She started wearing it like this every day to please him, and created a new hairstyle called the "Fontange", adding vertical volume to the hair. This fashion lasted for 20 years. Under

, Madame de Pompadour's time, hair was worn rather low and backswept, with a simple aura of locks, and was never called a pompadour. A new, extravagant style adding again height and volume came into fashion under

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, around the 1770s and 1780s, culminating before the Revolution with the contemporaries of

Marie-Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child and ...

. Stylists had daring ideas for adding more and more height. The style was revived again in the 1890s as part of the Gibson Girl look and continued to be in vogue until

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In the 1925 novel '' The Great Gatsby'', a character refers to Jay Gatsby having had a pompadour in his youth. The style was in vogue for women once again in the 1940s. The men's version appeared in the 1950s and early 1960s, worn by early

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...

and movie stars such as

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, Chuck Berry, Ritchie Valens,

James Dean James Byron Dean (February 8, 1931September 30, 1955) was an American actor. He is remembered as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement, as expressed in the title of his most celebrated film, ''Rebel Without a Cause' ...

, and

Tony Curtis Tony Curtis (born Bernard Schwartz; June 3, 1925September 29, 2010) was an American actor whose career spanned six decades, achieving the height of his popularity in the 1950s (Kansas Raiders, 1950) and early 1960s. He acted in more than 100 f ...

, and enjoyed a renaissance in the mid 2000s. The style has been worn by men and women in the 21st century.

Women's styles

Variations of the pompadour style were popular for women in the late 18th century and again from the 1890s until

, and in the 1940s. The pompadour was often supported by a roll of false hair, over which the woman's own hair was combed up and back. File:Marie Antoinette and her Children by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun.jpg, alt=Marie Antoinette and her Children by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun, Queen

Marie Antoinette Marie Antoinette Josèphe Jeanne (; ; née Maria Antonia Josepha Johanna; 2 November 1755 – 16 October 1793) was the last queen of France before the French Revolution. She was born an archduchess of Austria, and was the penultimate child a ...

wearing a large pompadour under an elaborate headdress, 1787 File:Ladyastor.jpg, Lady Astor wearing hair in this style in a famous portrait by

John Singer Sargent John Singer Sargent (; January 12, 1856 – April 14, 1925) was an American expatriate artist, considered the "leading portrait painter of his generation" for his evocations of Edwardian-era luxury. He created roughly 900 oil paintings and more ...

, 1909 File:Bette Davis in Now Voyager trailer.jpg,

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

wearing an updated, streamlined pompadour in the film '' Now, Voyager'', 1942 File:Betty Grable 20th Century Fox.jpg, Actress and World War II pin-up girl Betty Grable wearing another variant of the pompadour style, 1943 Among women, the hairstyle became marginally popular again in the first few years of the 21st century. It can be created by backcombing or ratting at the roots of the hair on the sides of the pompadour towards the top of the head. Then the hair is combed up and over the ratted hair, off the forehead, the front up in a curl straight back, and the sides pulled back towards the center.

Men's styles

In the 1950s, this hairstyle was not yet called the pompadour, and was donned by James Dean and Elvis Presley. It was then called by other names ( Quiff, ducktail, jelly roll, Rocker, Greaser, or simply "the Elvis cut"). During this era, the hairstyle had become a staple of many

White American White Americans are Americans who identify as and are perceived to be white people. This group constitutes the majority of the people in the United States. As of the 2020 Census, 61.6%, or 204,277,273 people, were white alone. This represented ...

Latin American Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-eth ...

, and

Asian American Asian Americans are Americans of Asian ancestry (including naturalized Americans who are immigrants from specific regions in Asia and descendants of such immigrants). Although this term had historically been used for all the indigenous people ...

Greaser gangs. Movies like '' Rebel Without a Cause'', '' The Wild One'', '' Grease'', '' The Outsiders'', ''

The Lords of Flatbush ''The Lords of Flatbush'' (stylized on-screen as ''The Lord's of Flatbush'') is a 1974 American drama film directed by Martin Davidson and Stephen F. Verona. The film stars Perry King, Sylvester Stallone, Paul Mace and Henry Winkler. Stallone w ...

'', and '' American Me'' are reminiscent of the Greaser subculture. During the 1980s, the hair style was associated with the "rockabilly" culture, and adopted by those enamoured with vintage culture of the late 1950s and early 1960s, which included

antique car An antique car is an automobile that is an antique. Narrower definitions vary based on how old a car must be to qualify. The Antique Automobile Club of America defines an antique car as over 25 years of age. However, the legal definitions for the ...

hot rods Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimised for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made ...

muscle car Muscle car is a description according to ''Merriam-Webster Dictionary'' that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The '' Britannica Dictionary'' ...

s, American folk music, greasers, Teddy Boys, rockabilly bands, and

impersonators. Celebrities known for wearing pompadours during the

1950s The 1950s (pronounced nineteen-fifties; commonly abbreviated as the "Fifties" or the " '50s") (among other variants) was a decade that began on January 1, 1950, and ended on December 31, 1959. Throughout the decade, the world continued its re ...

and

1960s File:1960s montage.png, Clockwise from top left: U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War; the Beatles led the British Invasion of the U.S. music market; a half-a-million people participate in the 1969 Woodstock Festival; Neil Armstrong and Buzz ...

include

Little Richard Richard Wayne Penniman (December 5, 1932 – May 9, 2020), known professionally as Little Richard, was an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He was an influential figure in popular music and culture for seven decades. Described as the " ...

and Afghanistan's

Ahmad Zahir Ahmad Zahir (Dari/Pashto: ; 14 June 1946 – 14 June 1979) was an Afghan singer, songwriter and composer. Dubbed the "Elvis of Afghanistan", he is widely considered the all-time greatest singer of Afghanistan. The majority of his songs were sung ...

as well as actors such as

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

, and Desi Arnaz. There are Latin variants of the hairstyle across

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

, with some European influence. In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, from the 1930s to the 1960s, the pompadour and ducktail were popular among many

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

s, such as

Mexican American Mexican Americans ( es, mexicano-estadounidenses, , or ) are Americans of full or partial Mexican heritage. In 2019, Mexican Americans comprised 11.3% of the US population and 61.5% of all Hispanic and Latino Americans. In 2019, 71% of Mexica ...

Chicanos,

Cuban American Cuban Americans ( es, cubanoestadounidenses or ''cubanoamericanos'') are Americans who trace their cultural heritage to Cuba regardless of phenotype or ethnic origin. The word may refer to someone born in the United States of Cuban descent or t ...

s and

Puerto Ricans Puerto Ricans ( es, Puertorriqueños; or boricuas) are the people of Puerto Rico, the inhabitants, and citizens of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and their descendants. Overview The culture held in common by most Puerto Ricans is referred t ...

. Although the pompadour was popular across all ethnic and racial groups in the mid-20th century, it’s maintained popularity among

Italian American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, ...

s and the "

goombah ''Goombah'' is a pejorative slang term for people of Italian descent, mainly in the United States, with several related connotations to the Mafia (either the Italian-American Mafia, the original Sicilian Mafia, or other Italian organized crime ...

" or " Guido" subculture. The style is often parodied in shows like ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

'' or ''

Jersey Shore The Jersey Shore (known by locals simply as the Shore) is the coastal region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. Geographically, the term encompasses about of oceanfront bordering the Atlantic Ocean, from Perth Amboy in the north to Cape May Po ...

'', which portray negatively stereotyped characters—especially Silvio Dante. Notable gangsters, such as

John Gotti John Joseph Gotti Jr.Capeci, Mustain (1996), pp. 25–26 (, ; October 27, 1940 – June 10, 2002) was an American gangster and boss of the Gambino crime family in New York City. He ordered and helped to orchestrate the murder of Gambino boss ...

, have sported the hair style. In modern Japanese popular culture, the pompadour is a stereotypical hairstyle often worn by gang members, thugs, members of the yakuza, the bōsōzoku, and other similar groups such as the ''

yankii The term ''Yankee'' and its contracted form ''Yank'' have several interrelated meanings, all referring to people from the United States. Its various senses depend on the context, and may refer to New Englanders, residents of the Northern United St ...

'' (high-school hoodlums). In Japan the style is known as the "Regent" hairstyle, and is often

caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, a ...

d in various forms of entertainment media such as

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

, television, and music videos, often into improbable levels of length and volume. The punch perm combines elements of the afro hairstyle and the traditional pompadour. This style, too, is stereotypically worn by less reputable members of society, including the ''yakuza'', ''bōsōzoku'', and ''chinpira'' (street thugs). For the main hero of the long-running manga series '' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure''s fourth part, '' Diamond Is Unbreakable'', Josuke Higashikata, the hairstyle became a signature detail. In the

psychobilly Psychobilly is a rock music fusion genre that fuses elements of rockabilly and punk rock. It's been defined as "loud frantic rockabilly music", it has also been said that it "takes the traditional countrified rock style known as rockabilly, ram ...

subculture, the pompadour is slightly modified to form the quiff. The quiff is a hairstyle worn by Psychobilly fans and musicians ( Kim Nekroman frontman of Nekromantix for example). A psychobilly wedge is a sort of mix between a

mohawk hairstyle The mohawk (also referred to as a Mohican) is a hairstyle in which, in the most common variety, both sides of the head are shaven, leaving a strip of noticeably longer hair in the center. It is today worn as an emblem of non-conformity. The m ...

and the pompadour, where the hair along the side of the head is shaved and the middle is not spiked but slicked back and stood up like a pompadour. In the 2000s and 2010s, the pompadour hairstyle has been seen on celebrities which include

Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...

, Bruno Mars,

Morrissey Steven Patrick Morrissey (; born 22 May 1959), known professionally as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. Since then ...

David Beckham David Robert Joseph Beckham (; born 2 May 1975) is an English former professional footballer, the current president and co-owner of Inter Miami CF and co-owner of Salford City. Known for his range of passing, crossing ability and bending fr ...

, Drake Bell,

Zac Efron Zachary David Alexander Efron (; born October 18, 1987) is an American actor. He began acting professionally in the early 2000s and rose to prominence in the late 2000s for his leading role as Troy Bolton in the ''High School Musical'' trilo ...

Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...

, Alex Turner of Arctic Monkeys, and

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

. File:PresleyPromo1954PhotoOnly.jpg,

with a pompadour haircut in the mid-1950s File:Sonu Nigam during a show.jpeg, Indian pop star Sonu Nigam with modern adaptation of the Teddy Boy cut File:Everly Brothers - Cropped.jpg, Everly Brothers' pompadour haircuts File:Bob's big boy statue burbank 2013.jpg, Big Boy Restaurants statue

References

External links

; Definition
Merriam-Webster definition
Retrieved 25 April 2005. ; Rockabilly connection

Retrieved 25 April 2005.
"Pompadour"
''A Word A Day Archives''. Retrieved 25 April 2005. * Trebay, Guy (November 18, 2003)

''Elvis Australia''. Retrieved 25 April 2005. ; Setzer connection * Abrams, Kerry (February 8, 1999)

''The Daily Beacon''. Retrieved 25 April 2005. * Burrell, Dan (November 28, 2008)
"More Discussion Regarding Emergent Methodology"
''Whirled Views With Dan Burrell.'' Retrieved 30 December 2008. * Hinke, Christina M

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

, reprinted on Hoodoo Voodoo Lounge fan site. Retrieved 25 April 2005. * Hinke, Christina M. (October 10, 2005)
"Brian Setzer Rocks and Doo-wops his Way Through New Album"
Associated Press. Retrieved 25 April 2005.
Townsend Records Shop description of Brian Setzer
Retrieved 25 April 2005. ; Examples of non-rockabilly male musicians with pompadours

(March 27, 2001). ''Reprise Records News''. Retrieved 25 April 2005. * Leiby, Richard (January 21, 2002). "Joe Henry: Too Big Too Fit". ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', pg. C1. ; Tango and Latin connection * Foley, Dylan (November 22, 1997)
"Tango: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places"
''Toronto Globe and Mail''. Retrieved 25 April 2005.

(February 9, 2005). ''

New York Post The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates NYPost.com, the celebrity gossip site PageSix.com, and the entertainment site Decider.com. It was established ...

''. Retrieved 25 April 2005. {{Human hair 17th-century fashion 1950s fashion 1960s fashion 2010s fashion Scalp hairstyles Madame de Pompadour

History

Women's styles

Men's styles

See also

References

External links