What is "big hair"

Big hair is a term that can refer to hairstyles that emphasize large volume or largely styled hair, especially when those styles make the hair occupy a large amount of space above and around the head. The label "big hair" for such styles originated in the late 1970s, when these styles were beginning a period of popularity; the label has been applied to similar styles that have become fashionable at various periods in history.

Actresses like Raquel Welch, Brigitte Bardot and Jane Fonda became big-haired icons in the early sixties through seventies. Women's hairstyles labelled as "big hair" became fashionable during this period, with a poster of actress Farrah Fawcett becoming an iconic example. The fashion persisted with certain regional subcultures in the southern United States, and the styles are sometimes also associated with female country music performers. It is also associated with the exaggerated stereotypical femininity associated with drag queens and similar gender performers.

For both genders, big hair became popular in the 1980s. The term is also used in the punk, glam, goth and alternative cultures and is particularly associated with fashion of the 1970s, 1980s, and early 1990s, or inspired by the period. From these origins, big hair became a feature of a number of Japanese street and alternative fashions, including Harajuku and ganguro. In the mid-1980s, rising Pop Star Madonna also had big hair when posing for Time Magazine photographed by Francesco Scavullo. Soon, many women emulated her look making her one of the most iconic celebrities in 1980s fashion.