Monday, 30 October 2023

I Had Never Heard Of Guillotine Haircuts,

until now, 


apparently in the times of the French Revolution, it was customary for gentlemen to have their hair cut short before the chop, it aided a clean cut for the blade, so it was only a matter of time before ladies too chopped their hair, when attending of all things a beheading ball! writings and records from the era suggest that an unusual subculture of society balls emerged as orphaned aristocrats began to see the return of their confiscated fortunes, 

to enter guests allegedly saluted à la victime, by jerking their heads sharply downwards to imitate the moment of decapitation, as well as jerking their heads to their dance partners instead of bowing, it has been recorded that women wore red chokers around their necks to symbolize where the blade would have severed the heads of their relatives from their body, the balls are also believed to have helped bring about the trend for a new shorter hairstyle, aptly known as a coiffure a la victime, or àla Titus, it became fashionable amongst young women to opt for a drastic chop, baring their necks and mimicking prisoner appearances right before their deaths, for the full story have a look here,

as it happens above is the last public execution by guillotine in France which took place in 1939, France last executed someone by guillotine in 1977 and wasn’t officially abolished by the government until 1981, I will let you ponder the efficiency of the system.


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