Hair Affair: The Most Popular Styles of the Last Century

4. Victory Rolls and Pinned-up Dos

There's no doubt that World War II was the defining event of the 1940s. Women in America and Europe poured into the workforce to fill the production jobs left by deployed men. Both celebrities and working women in the 40s favored pinned-up hairdos that didn't get in the way at work. Actress Veronica Lake was instrumental in popularizing the style. Pinned-up rolls struck a balance between practicality and femininity that spoke to the changing social conditions of the era.

Another popular style was the bouffant. These poofy dos were created by pinning up long hair as high as possible. Some were worn half-up, half-down, with the bottom portion of hair falling in loose curls over the back. To get an even poofier look, some women shaped their hair around voluminous foam forms before pinning it up.