At once jaunty, mysterious, seductive, irreverent and sophisticated: the bob is not just a haircut but a lifestyle. Also known as bob or bob, this revolutionary hair cut was born in Paris in 1909 at the hands of the famous Polish hairdresser Antoine, who had been inspired by Joan of Arc. But it was in the 1920s that the bob became viral, and flapper girls elected it as an emblem of female rebellion and vindication. Already in the “Roaring Twenties” it is the cinema that contributes in no small way to its diffusion, thanks to the magnetic actress Louise Brooks who, with her very short and raven bob with fringe, enters the imagination of the sensuality of the time. After her, it was Coco Chanel who would influence women with her bob, which became a symbol of practical and modern elegance, while in the 1960s hairdresser Vidal Sassoon reinterpreted the bob with geometric lines, making it a timeless classic.
And if today stars such as Gracie Abrams and Selena Gomez are sporting it on the red carpet in different variants, the diva of the moment Margot Robbie, having ditched her Victorian heroine outfits in Wuthering Heights, attended Chanel’s Paris show with a new cut with an even bob and a sleek, chic, essential fringe.
That between cinema and the helmet, after all, is an unstoppable union on the big screen as well, with unforgettable protagonists who have made the history of cinema–and of style. Muses of the French New Wave such as Anna Karina wore it beautifully, as did their natural heir Audrey Tautou, unforgettable protagonist of The Fabulous World of Amélie: for her, a rounded bob with ultra-short bangs, imitated by girls all over the world. The sexiest? Michelle Pfeiffer’s in Scarface, while the most cheeky is Uma Thurman’s very black one in Pulp Fiction. For Natalie Portman, it was a lucky charm, because it was with the role of Mathilda in Léon-and her iconic bob cut-that her successful career began. The chicest one? Gwyneth Paltrow’s blond one with a side parting in The Tenenbaums.
[📷IPA 📹©️ Canal+, France 3 Cinema, UGC, UGC Distribution; ©️ Universal Pictures; Courtesy of Netflix]
