a pinoy hair story.2

A PINOY HAIR STORY (Anthro10 Mini-ethnography Project)

A Pinoy Hair StoryAs in all cultures, Filipinos consider hair an important asset. May it be to signify social

status or simply to encourage the opposite sex to approach--- Filipinos do not lag behind their

Western brethren in recognizing the power of hair.

Hair in Pop Culture. The Finalists of a local network’s star search sports a variety of ‘dos

that reflected various hair trends in the Philippines

AGUILA / BANGONGUIS / CAPELLAN / GUZMAN / PERALTA / SAPORSANTOS / SARMIENTO / SLOOT


A Glance of History.

The Filipinos in the 1500s let their hair grow. This was not for lack of a means to groom

it; as the Bontoks in northern Cordillera cut their hair by resting it on a block of wood and

chopping it with their headaxe (resulting in a "coconut husk" cut). This was their preference and

they gathered their long hair up with a cloth wrapped around their head. An alternative take on

hair cutting was that it is a sign of punishment or deep mourning. The Ifugao son whose father

was murdered would not cut his hair until he himself had sought vengeance. These Filipinos

loved to display their long tresses. Back then, to have cropped your hair meant you were from

the province. "Inalotan ka! (you close-cropped *$#@)" was also curse then, a sign of how short

hair was frowned upon.

But even if sixteenth-century Filipinos sported long hair, they did not have beards. They

chose to trim their facial hair with tweezers or a pair of clam shells. It was the influence of the

Spanish that caused a change in the trend. Notably, only Filipinos in areas with strong Spanish

influence had short hair. According to the late historian William Henry Scott this was something

the church considered a part of "taming their ancient ferocity with the gentleness of the Gospel".

As much as hair is an object of vanity, it has also been a means of expressing oneself,

politically most especially. Macario Sakay, a member of the Katipunan, grew his hair long as

part of his campaign against foreign domination. He fought, undaunted by the death of Andres

Bonifacio in 1897 and the capture of Emilio Aguinaldo in 1901. In 1906, he surrendered under

the impression that he would be granted amnesty. Unfortunately, that was a farce. He was

convicted and sentenced to death by hanging for banditry. In 1972, President Ferdinand Marcos

also ordered all Filipino men to cut their hair as part of the "taming of their revolutionary spirit

with the gentleness of the New Society". The late Zamboanga Mayor Cesar Climaco wore his

hair long in open defiance of the Martial Law. Upon his death, his long white hair had already

reach his waist.



“Imported” Hairstyles.

Hair styles also vary with every decade. The trends often reflect the status of that era.

The Philippines can be seen as following the history of America's hair trends. The emergence of

short, bobbed and waved styles, for example, was met by the 1920's. This style signified the

new independent, free-spirited, free-woman ethos of the day. Men’s hair remained short and

was most often worn with a centre parting and slicked back using brilliantine and highly

perfumed oils. In the 1940’s, the feminine and romantic styles for women were dominant. This

translates into soft curls falling onto the shoulders or long, wavy natural looks. More practical

women wore their hair in a neat roll around the nape and over the ears, often covered with a

headscarf knotted at the front leaving only the fringe (or bangs) exposed. Plastic hair rollers

were an essential part of styling as was styling lotion to hold the hair in place for as long as

possible.

Female Hairtrends as popularized by the media from(presented left to right, top to bottom)

the 1920s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and the 1980s.



Glamour regained popularity in the 1950’s. The aim was to look like a "domestic

goddess". The impression that all household chores could be accomplished whilst still looking

stylish and well groomed was aspired to. Hair began to suffer abuse however; it was teased,

sculpted, sprayed, permanently waved and forced into perfectly formed curls. Hair often

resembled a perfect helmet and women started to visit salons on a weekly basis. Men of the day

were also prepared to spend time copying their idols James Dean and Elvis and greased back

hairdo’s were coupled with long, heavy sideburns. This style can be easily viewed in the popular

movie "Grease". Although this film was released in the 70's, the plot was set in the 50's. By the

1960's, practicality once again became an issue with women's hairstyles. Women were once

again entering the workforce and therefore had to adopt a more achievable daytime look. Many

favored short, back-combed hairstyles that could be quickly styled and held in place with hair

spray, softened with a long, feminine fringe. Younger women who left their hair longer tended to

wear it loose or in a simple ponytail, adorning it with flowers or ribbons during the fashionable

hippie phase. Men on the other hand, wore their hair similar to the Beatles or a simple crew cut.

The 70's gave way to free-spiritedness and long, long, long hair on both genders. The

emphasis was on free-flowing, feathery hair. The late 70's was the birth of punk, with its spiked

hair and outrageous colors. The 80's style icon was Madonna, with her ever-changing style.

This era focused more on freedom but women preferred the long-bob was highly favored-

precisely cut and evenly curled under. During the 90's, there were less constraints with

hairstyles, pretty much anything was acceptable. What was popular with women was the

"Rachel" cut inspired by Jennifer Aniston's character in the popular TV series FRIENDS.

Teenage boys however sported hair similar to the Backstreet Boys, particularly Nick Carter's.



The famed F4 group who revolutionized the male hairtrend.

Particularly in the Philippines, cultural trends influence hair. Early in the 2k's, during the

F4 and Asianovela boom in popularity, pin-straight hair was the ideal. Because of this, hair

rebonding and relaxing became prevalent practices. For the women, long hair or asymmetrical

or shaggy cuts were "in" while men would go for longer hair either wispy or pin-straight as well.

After this, permed or curled hair became popular for women while anime and cartoon-ish cuts

became common with the younger population. Through this, men have started sporting shaved

heads without the previous connotation of "ex-convict" attached to it. Currently, the trends

seem to be "emo" hair (bangs covering eyes) for both genders, short bobs for women and

shaved heads for men.

The Long Hair/Short Hair Generation.

When the Spaniards came to the Philippines, they brought with them Christianity.

Through religion, they were able to impose a lot of things to the Filipinos. They used the most

powerful tool of all – the bible to govern almost all aspects of life of the Filipino people. So

when the bible states in 1 Corinthians 11: 14-15 that “Does not the very nature of things teach

you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her



glory?,” it is no wonder for me why in the context of Filipino culture, women have always

treasured their long hair.

Even Philippine literature says a lot about the long hair culture of women. From Maria

Makiling to Maria Clara, it is almost inevitable to see them represented to possess long hair.

Because of this, having long hair has been a symbol of beauty for many years now. Today,

however, Filipino women have more than just one Maria Clara to emulate. Because of

globalization and modernization, there are many influences now that it seems like short hair is

taking over in the beauty department. Hollywood and media have been huge factors to this

change.

Now, more than ever, women are sporting the short hair look. If you ask salons about

the most requested hairstyle for women, it has to be the Pob. It is derived from two words: Posh,

after Posh Spice Victoria Beckham who popularized it and bob which is the technical term

referring to short hair usually aligned close to the face. Another trend that has taken over

women is the Rihanna look. It is shorter than the Pob and usually associated with boy-cut

already. A friend of mine, who is a dancer, had her hair cut just like Rihanna said, “Since it’s

actually something that looks like a boy, not everybody will look good with it that is why it’s a lot

sexier and hotter if you can pull it off and still look like a girl.” Another friend said, “It’s a lot

easier to maintain. Shorter hair means less shampoo, less combing and more than that, it’s nice

to feel the wind blow on your neck.” For them it’s the style, difficulty of pulling it off and the

practicality that comes with short hair that made them ‘buy’ it.

Women also wanted their hair long because it attracted more men. Filipino men are

usually drawn to girls with shiny, silky long black hair – one that can already pass up for a

shampoo commercial. A certain guy friend said, “Even if the girl isn’t that pretty but her hair is

long and gorgeous, pwede na rin. Minsan kasi nadadala sa buhok eh.” For him, if the hair is

well-groomed and long, it says a lot about the person. It shows how healthy the girl is there’s

just something about the movement of shiny long hair that guys can’t get enough of. But then,



guys are also aware of today’s short hair generation. Another guy said, “Today, it doesn’t really

matter if you’re hair is long or short, as long as it suits you.” He defined the importance of finding

the perfect cut for you. Having the right cut can make or break you. Some girls look good with

long hair but look better with shorter hair. Some women, on the other hand, try the latest trends

like for example the Rihanna cut but end up looking like a boy. Still, one would argue, “Kung

maganda ka, maganda ka talaga, kahit mahaba, maikli, maganda o panget man yang buhok

mo!” For him, a woman’s crown doesn’t matter because it’s the face that would determine one’s

beauty and not the hair.

Celebrities Rihanna and Victoria Beckham are among the Hollywood Celebrities who have set the short hair trend.

Having the short hair generation today shows how culture is always changing. Our

perception of what is beautiful in terms of our hairstyles updates by the second. If Maria Clara

was to be seen sporting the Pob cut, she would have raised the eyebrows of many friars back

then. But if we ever fall into the trap of finding ourselves with ridiculous hairstyles just to conform

to our changing culture, it’s a good thing to know that our hair grows back and no one dies of a

bad haircut caused by silly hair eras.



On Colored Hair.

It is in the twentieth century when colored hair became known and considered a trend.

When Madonna in the mid 80’s became a star, her becoming known began the fashion of

having a colored hair. Aside from following Madonna’s footsteps, why do people consider

coloring their hair? A palpable explanation of coloring one’s hair is to conceal the inevitable sign

of aging – the gray hair. Since even a twelve-year old girl is not an exception for having a gray

hair, this became the primary reason of people who engage in dye hair. But the rest gave

strange and unusual reasons.

A La Sallian guy when asked why he managed to color his hair with burgundy said,

“Well, I wanted to be ‘in’, since most of my schoolmates are either Koreans or foreigners with

their hair colored, I have to belong“. Being accepted by a certain group you live in is everyone’s

dream, and people’s nature is to gamble everything just to ‘belong’. Another instance is when a

girl was asked why she colored her hair with a pure metallic green said, “I love animes! That

explains it, right?“ Most often than not, we tend to mimic the things we admire, we even try to

live in the strangest world of cartoons just to get by. Another answer you would get is “That’s art!

Different shades, colorful hair represents colorful life! That’s a product of art! Coloring my hair’s

the only way where I can let my emotions flow.” While others would settle for answers like, “wala

lang, para maiba naman” and some would even say “wala na kasi akong mapag-gastusan”.

Different answers from different heads. But whatever the reason is, one fact can only be

depicted: our BODY is an ARENA of our CULTURE. Through our body, our hair to be specific,

consciously or not, we let others see what’s inside of us – our interests, our passion, our

personality, and that. Our biological bodies are being used as a medium for social action, like

what others have said, ‘to belong’. It is the product of our own beliefs, our own culture and often,

it is also an influence of other ethnicity, may it be Western, Anime or etc.



The Hair Straightening Revolution.

Hair pressing as it was previously called dates back in the 1960’s where it was a part of

Black Women’s culture – A very important ritual for the transition of their childhood in

approaching womanhood. Alongside this relevance in their culture was also the issue of racism.

The whites believed that the blacks had this obsession with straightened hair, reflecting a

colonized mentality. It was at this time that the natural hairdo, the ‘afro’ became fashionable as

a sign of cultural resistance and as a celebration of blackness.

Media Advertisements usually feature these pictures so as to highlight the “big” difference between a “kinky” hair and a “tamed” hair.

Do we consider ourselves also a product of the American colonization which still goes on

up to now? Comparing for example the Aetas to the people most Filipinos look up to for ideal

beauty nowadays, It is a totally different image. The ideal dictates fair flawless skin, straight hair,

even sometimes colored. Have we totally succumb to our colonizers and have adapted a

different perception of what beauty is?

The fad for hair straightening as far as one can remember started here in the country

around five to seven years ago. People started having their hair relaxed, rebonded, and flat

irons were sold rapidly even up to now. Surprisingly, women are not the only ones involved in

this age of hair straightening.



When it comes to the topic about hair straightening, different reasons spring out. Some

wanted a change in their look since they have had a different one since birth. Some people who

already have straight hair just wanted to have their hair flattened more to see if they looked

good in them. Others for their hair to feel healthier and softer and a few had practical reasons

like “It is easier to manage”. Although these are the most common responses, other people

have responded with “Because longer and straighter hair is more attractive”

Ever since the boom of hair straightening, the shampoo brands went with it. There are

shampoos “For more relaxed hair”, “Longer, straighter hair”, “Instant ayos”. Alongside these

taglines are the different commercials that went with them. Where the guy gets the girl with

longer straighter hair, or the girl with relaxed hair looks more presentable and therefore gets the

job instantly. What do these entail?

Filipinos have this tendency to ride with what’s “IN” and are also fond of trying new

things especially when surroundings and media dictates. These and more are what people see

as avenues to rely on their perception of beauty. This shows us that Culture is always adaptive,

that it adapts to change whatever the reasons may be.



The Hair Story Continues

Many personal decisions are made by the society, which is the representative of

the collective thoughts of its members. The decisions are affected by the society’s goal:

either reproduction or reproduction control. It is wired in every individual’s brain that

their main purpose is to find a partner and build a family. Why do people wear their hair

the way they do? Expressing their beliefs through their body could be the reason, but

this could be seen as a signal to a possible partner: this is who I am, and I want to find

somebody who would not only tolerate me, but actually like me. Your body and the way

you treat it is the ultimate indication of the type of people you want to be with. People

want to express their feelings and thoughts, and who they are and what they are made

of through their body to attract the people who like them. These displays save time and

energy in getting to know the person’s views and character; instead of having everyone

as a possible partner, we are consciously or unconsciously eliminating those who would

be repelled by our lifestyle. Our body is like a big neon sign saying “this is me; if you

don’t like it, keep out”. It is the totality of the cultures we observe, the religion we

practice, and the knowledge we possess. Briefly, it is the ultimate expression of our

mind; whether it is bounded by culture or not.



Resources:o Caruncho, Eric. “My Life in Hair, So Far”. Sunday Inquirer Magazine. April 20, 2008.

<http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20080420-131530/

My-Life-in-Hair-So-Far>

o Cimatu, Frank. “16th Century Filipinos Also Wore Long Hair”. KASAMA Vol.10 No.3 July-

August-September 1996. <http://cpcabrisbane.org/Kasama/1996/V10n3/LongHair.htm>

o “History of Hair from 3000 BC to the present”. UK Hairdressers.

<http://www.ukhairdressers.com/history%20of%20hair.asp>

o Hooks, Bell. “Strengthening our Hair”. Z Magazine. September 1988

o Zamora, Fe. “Hairy History”. Sunday Inquirer Magazine. April 20, 2008.

<http://showbizandstyle.inquirer.net/sim/sim/view/20080420-131528/Hairy-History>


a pinoy hair story.2

Documents

sunday inquirer magazine

pinoy hair story

straighter hair

hair straightening

gray hair

relaxed hair

anthro10 mini

ethnography project