Big Hair
In the extremes of the 80s, the "bigger is better"
concept came also to hair. To follow the fashion precept that all
things must be in proportion, the wide shoulders, nipped waists
and ballooning pants that marked the decade's silhouette left
nowhere for hair to go but up.
Big hair was sported in malls from coast to coast, and with the
release of the 1988 movie Working Girl, starring a colossally
coiffed Melanie Griffith, big hair became a nation phenomenon.
Anyone could get big hair (in seven easy steps): all that was
needed was hairspray, a teasing comb, and a blow dryer. If you
were willing to go an extra step, bleaching your hair with dye or
peroxide would strip the hair of its healthy quality and make it
more receptive to the hairspray and the desired look.
- Have at least one can of hairspray (any brand will do, but
it had to be industrial strength).
- Apply a hearty handful of mousse to your wet hair to prime
the hair for the hairspray.
- Hold head upside down as you run the blow dryer over it,
"scrunching" it with your fingers.
- When hair is almost dry, and with the blow-dryer still going
full blast, begin to spray hair with hairspray until you've
obtained a crispy texture or the can is finished - whichever
comes first.
- Flip head up and fluff out the shaggy ball now known as your
head.
- Nope, not done yet. Take a teasing comb to your bangs. Of
course you have bangs - you can't have big hair if you don't
have bangs. Tease bangs to get them at least half the height
of your head. There are several options here: either tease the
bangs evenly so you get one big teased ball on your forehead,
or you can achieve the more distinctive "side wave"
which is essentially a giant tidal wave of hair that lifts
high off your forehead and is shellacked to the side.
- Apply another long and liberal dose of hairspray to
discourage even a windstorm from disturbing one little hair.
You're all set. Just remember to check the overhead clearance .
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