The hairstyle that made French women lose their heads

During the French Revolution, a hairstyle became the symbol of the male republicans but, when fashion lost momentum, women took up the baton by defying the established norms, opting for a more practical style that lost the political charge. Even so, they were not spared the criticism that they were insane and pretended to be men.

From the theater to the streets

The great hairdresser Duplan, inspired by the Roman emperors, chose a short hairstyle for the character of Titus in the play Brutus by Voltaire, performed in 1791 by the actor François-Joseph Talma. The coiffure à la Titus was a hit with the young republicans just a week after the play's production. The hairstyle of the son of Lucius Junius Brutus, founder of the Roman Republic, was a fitting symbol for republican aspirations. The same was true of the coiffure à la Brutus, which reached England with fewer political implications, and which had curls on only one side. However, in the period of the Directory (1795-1799) it ceased to be a patriotic symbol and became a suspicious hairstyle for the police, as it was a common element of opposition groups. The interest in Roman culture, awakened by the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum in the middle of the century, faded in 1794 when they became aware of the decadence and corruption of the emperors. Thus, the new regime set its sights on Greece and other ancient peoples. By the time of Napoleon, although there were still examples of hairstyles, their presence was no longer as significant.

Short-haired women

In 1794, Pierre-Narcisse Guérin painted the first woman with this hairstyle, something unthinkable until then, as a nude model was not conceived of in an academic setting, as Guérin was then a student. Possibly this was a lower-class woman who could have sold her hair to make wigs, the use of which had resurfaced after the beheading of Robespierre, although with more natural styles than those seen at Versailles. However, at the time, hairdressers preferred the hair of the decapitated, healthier because they had not died of natural causes.

Whatever the reasons, in 1796, Thérésa Cabarrus popularized this same style, which she maintained until the first half of the nineteenth century. This coincided with the resurgence of wigs, which Cabarrús changed quite often. Although this occurred for both men and women, for the former, wigs were a symbol of their social or work position, while for women they were considered a frivolous luxury. This view was common during the ancien régime, where more ostentatious wigs competed, and Marie Antoinette, although more discreet, wore them to launch political messages. It was common to fear for the financial health of their husbands or that they would spend their dowries.

Ironically, short hair was not without its critics. One of the most common was that, by using less hair powder and washing their hair more, they would damage their teeth. It was also common to accuse women of cross-dressing, mental instability or challenging male authority. Hairdressers and wig makers complained about losing profits from the sale of powders. Nevertheless, hairdresser J. N. Palette praised the hairstyle lavishly, especially since it required frequent visits to his store. Likewise, the wig sellers were pleased that there were women who regretted the hairstyle.

Despite this, the popularization of this hairstyle was influenced by its presence in fashion magazines since 1787, which show the differences it experienced in different periods. During the 19th century, it was an irregular cut, but from the 1800s it included flower crowns, bows and curls. Even wigs were worn with this hairstyle. This fashion would apparently last until 1810, when it was no longer mentioned in publications and women went back to predominantly wearing wigs.

Femininity and morality called into question

During the French Revolution there were changes in clothing styles and hairstyles. When the Roman influence was discarded in favor of the Greek or Gallic influence, the Roman or Spartan style was seen as violently masculine. The Greek style was seen as more balanced, valuing its clear differences between genders, interpreted as more natural and liberating for motherhood. Therefore, if there was ambiguity in the clothing of a man and a woman, it was considered unnatural. Although the adoption of fine Greek clothes mostly alerted doctors, concerned about the risk of pneumonia, ambiguity put the coiffure à la Titus in the crosshairs of critics. The same happened to pants, which were banned for women in the 1800s.

For conservatives, these fashions were as depraved as the revolution from which they arose. In the press, after the Bourbon restoration in 1814, sensationalist accounts were published claiming that this hairstyle was the one worn by the victims of the guillotine, calling it coiffure à la victime, and that those who imitated their style enjoyed the blood. In addition, these sources said that there were dances of victims, exclusively for those who had lost a relative at the guillotine. Although they claimed that they first went in mourning, they affirmed that later they dressed luxuriously and in bright colors, with short hair, a red ribbon on the neck imitating a cut and a red shawl, like the one put by the executioner on Charlotte Corday's shoulders. Such celebrations were attributed to the female inability to cope with the aftermath of the Jacobins' power.

Although no evidence has yet been found to support these assertions, in the late 19th century the directory period was considered to be a time of hysteria and libertine morality. Therefore, because they were recollections written by aristocrats after 1930 and, in most cases, outside France, it is likely that they were texts intended to change public opinion.

Source

• Larson, J. (2013). Usurping Masculinity: The Gender Dynamics of the coiffure à la Titus in Revolutionary France (Doctoral dissertation).