Victory rolls
Victory rolls constitute a distinctive women's hairstyle featuring smooth, voluminous curls rolled upward and pinned at the crown or sides of the head, which emerged as a prominent style in the early 1940s amid World War II.[1] This retro look, often involving sausage-shaped rolls positioned above the ears or atop the head with an exposed curl at the forehead, enabled practical hair management for women entering the workforce, keeping strands secured away from machinery and faces during industrial labor.[2] Popularized through Hollywood imagery, including portrayals by pin-up icons like Betty Grable in the 1941 film Moon Over Miami, the hairstyle symbolized wartime resilience and femininity under rationing constraints on materials like metal pins and cosmetics.[1] Its name likely evokes the "V for Victory" motif of Allied propaganda or the rolling maneuvers of fighter aircraft, reflecting broader morale-boosting trends in fashion such as victory bobs and V-modes designed for functionality and patriotism.[3] Though the precise originator remains undocumented, the style's endurance in vintage revivals underscores its association with 1940s cultural shifts toward empowered female aesthetics in response to total war mobilization.[4]Historical Development
Origins and Pre-WWII Precursors
The victory roll hairstyle, defined by its distinctive horizontal cylindrical rolls of hair at the crown or sides, emerged from styling techniques prevalent in the late 1930s, prior to its formal association with World War II. Hairdressing periodicals of the era documented sausage-shaped rolls positioned above the ears, typically featuring an open curl directed forward, which employed backcombing to achieve volume and structure.[1] These configurations prefigured the fuller, named victory rolls of the 1940s by utilizing similar methods of teasing hair for lift, smoothing the surface, and pinning into shape without reliance on modern tools like hot curlers.[1] A specific example appears in the November 1938 issue of American Hairdresser magazine, which illustrated elongated curl forms styled through backcombing a section of hair, brushing it lightly for smoothness, and forming it into a flattened roll.[1] Such techniques reflected the decade's shift from the severe bobs and finger waves of the early 1930s toward softer, more voluminous arrangements suitable for medium-length hair, often seen in Hollywood-inspired evening looks that emphasized elegance and control.[5] These pre-war precursors remained unnamed and less standardized, serving primarily aesthetic purposes amid the Great Depression-era focus on practicality and glamour escapism, rather than the morale-boosting symbolism that later characterized victory rolls.[1] Backcombing, a core method for creating the rolls' signature puffiness, was already a standard 1930s practice for adding height and texture to otherwise sleek styles, as evidenced in period tutorials and salon guides.[5] By the eve of WWII in 1939, these elements had evolved into versatile updos adaptable for wartime rationing, laying the technical foundation for the style's rapid popularization.[1]WWII-Era Emergence and Peak Popularity
The victory rolls hairstyle emerged in the early 1940s as World War II escalated, coinciding with millions of women entering the industrial workforce to support the war effort. First prominently featured by actress Betty Grable in the 1941 film Moon Over Miami, the style involved sectioning and rolling hair horizontally above the ears to form cylindrical shapes, providing a neat appearance that kept strands secured and out of the way during manual labor.[1] This practical adaptation addressed safety concerns in factories, where loose hair posed risks near machinery, and reflected broader shifts in women's grooming to align with wartime efficiency.[6] Peak popularity spanned 1940 to 1945, particularly in the United States, where the hairstyle became a staple among working women and was promoted in media as both functional and patriotic. The rolls' distinctive "V" formation evoked the Allied victory sign and fighter plane maneuvers, enhancing its symbolic appeal amid rationing and mobilization campaigns.[7] By 1942, variations like double victory rolls gained traction, as documented in fashion periodicals and photographs of "Rosie the Riveter"-inspired workers, with adoption rates high due to its compatibility with headscarves and turbans mandated in some industrial settings.[3] Surveys from the era, such as those in Ladies' Home Journal, indicated that over 70% of employed women preferred rolled styles for their durability under long shifts, underscoring the hairstyle's dominance in everyday wartime fashion.[8] In Britain and other Allied nations, similar trends emerged by 1941, driven by parallel labor demands and blackout regulations that favored compact, visible styles, though American influences via Hollywood disseminated the look transatlantically.[4] The style's zenith aligned with peak female employment—reaching 19 million U.S. women by 1944—before gradual shifts toward softer postwar curls signaled its transition from necessity to nostalgia.[9]Postwar Decline and Obsolescence
Following World War II, which ended in September 1945, the victory roll hairstyle experienced a swift decline in mainstream popularity, as postwar fashion emphasized smoother, less structured silhouettes over the voluminous, upward-rolled curls associated with wartime austerity and practicality.[10] The style, which had peaked between 1940 and 1945 for its utility in keeping hair secured away from factory machinery and its symbolic nod to aerial maneuvers, lost relevance as rationing lifted and beauty ideals shifted toward softer, more fluid forms requiring minimal pinning and maintenance.[11][7] By the late 1940s, emerging trends like the pageboy cut and loose shoulder-length waves, influenced by Christian Dior's "New Look" introduced in 1947, favored a youthful, romantic aesthetic that contrasted with the rigid geometry of victory rolls.[10] These newer styles aligned with growing consumerism and Hollywood icons such as Audrey Hepburn, whose shorter, streamlined hair in films like Roman Holiday (1953) exemplified the transition away from elaborate wartime updos toward simpler, everyday elegance.[10] The rolls' high-maintenance nature—often involving hours of curling irons, bobby pins, and setting lotions—further contributed to their obsolescence amid busier suburban lifestyles and the rise of quick-styling tools like early hair dryers.[11] Into the 1950s, victory rolls were largely relegated to niche subcultures or nostalgic revivals, supplanted by ponytails, poodle cuts, and bouffants that echoed fullness but without the forward-rolling structure tied to 1940s morale-boosting symbolism.[10] Fashion magazines and beauty advisors promoted these alternatives as modern and versatile, reflecting a broader cultural pivot from wartime resilience to peacetime femininity, rendering the victory roll effectively obsolete by the decade's midpoint.[10][11]Styling Characteristics and Techniques
Defining Features
Victory rolls feature cylindrical sections of curled hair, often described as sausage-shaped, formed by wrapping combed-out pin curls horizontally or vertically away from the face and securing them with pins to create smooth, prominent rolls typically positioned above the ears or across the forehead.[6][2] These rolls produce a structured, voluminous silhouette that contrasts with the sleeker, gathered hair at the crown and nape, emphasizing a polished and contained appearance suitable for wartime practicality.[1][4] The hairstyle's defining shine and smoothness derive from setting agents like lotions or gels applied before curling, with the rolls often arranged in pairs on either side of the part to frame the face symmetrically, evoking the V-for-victory motif through their upward or backward orientation.[12][1] Unlike softer waves, the rolls maintain a rigid, tubular form without loose ends, prioritizing neatness over volume at the roots while adhering to regulations limiting hair length below the collar for women in uniform or factory roles.[1][2]Step-by-Step Creation Methods
Victory rolls are formed by teasing sections of hair at the crown for volume, then rolling and pinning them to create smooth, cylindrical shapes positioned above the ears. The process relies on basic tools such as a fine-tooth comb, brush, and bobby pins, which were commonly available during the 1940s.[13] Setting lotions or pomades could be applied to maintain hold, reflecting wartime rationing constraints that favored minimal product use.[13] To achieve the style:- Begin by parting the hair on one side, following the natural hairline to create asymmetry typical of the era.[13]
- Section off the hair from the part line ending just above the ear; brush this section smooth and backcomb (tease) it vigorously at the roots to build volume.[13]
- Gather the teased section, loop the ends around the thumb, and wind the hair into a tight roll directed toward the scalp, smoothing the exterior as it forms a cylindrical shape.[13]
- Secure the base of the roll flat against the scalp using several bobby pins inserted horizontally to hide them and ensure stability.[13]
- Repeat the process on the opposite side, adjusting the part above the ear to mirror or complement the first roll, maintaining balance.[13]
- Gently smooth the rolls with a fine-tooth comb, pinning any loose strands, and style the remaining hair by brushing it out or forming pin curls for added wave.[13]