| Hebraic Coiffure |
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| Written by Robin Katz | |||||
| Wednesday, 09 November 2005 | |||||
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An Ethnographic Study Intrigued by casual cultural references to “Jewish Hair,” this writer seeks to get to the follicle of the matter with a thorough and scholarly study of the ‘dos of the Chosen People. Although there is a common perception of an ethnically identifiable type of tress among Jews, their hair is, in fact, quite varied. The concept of “Jewish Hair” is perhaps more indicative of a cultural preoccupation with manes that spans the history of this ethnic nation. Perceived Notions A survey of the contemporary concepts of “Jewish Hair” reveals that popular ideas of this people’s mops is rooted in the dominance of New York Ashkenazi culture as disseminated through cultural arts and media. 1. The Fran Drescher Characteristics: Dark brown. Kinky curls, often frizzy. Big (obnoxiously so). The stereotype of Jewish female hair is embodied in the star of the The Nanny and the term Jewish Hair is used pejoratively in this case. Many young Jewesses who in fact have this look comprise a large demographic of the flatiron market. Owners of the original Helen of Troy as well as more recent ceramic and jade improvements, these teenagers seem to loathe their Jewish Hair. 2. The Jewfro Characteristics: Dark brown. Kinky curls, often frizzy. Afro-shaped dome. While many of this culture’s males, in a vain attempt of taming, end up with Cory Matthews-style Brillo cuts, those who embrace their “Jewish Hair” go full out with a Jewfro. Loved by members of the community and those outside of it, “Jewish Hair” is a term of endearment in this case. 3. The Uncle Murray Characteristics: Balding, thinning. Receding hair line. Often accompanied by wispy comb-overs. In this case, this category of Jewish Hair is used as a sort of “lack thereof.” Sex and the and the City recently overturned this negative image by giving Charlotte’s chatan Harry a smooth, dignified, and powerful-looking bare skull, a la Vin Diesel or Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire. Actual Findings Though the above instances of Jewish Hair do apply to a large cross section of many American Jews, Jews of the world actually sport quite varied locks. Jews hail from every continent and are white, black, Latino, Asian, Indian, and more. Respectively, Jews are blond, brunette, red-head, toe-head, and graying. They have jet-black hair and dyed green hair. Their hair falls flat in straight fringes, bounces in ringlets, curls up in tight kinks, and flows in loose waves. Famous Jews like Debra Messing, Alicia Silverstone and Henry Winkler do not have what is commonly called “Jewish Hair.” The Preoccupation Throughout all of Jewish history, hair has fascinated this culture. The strength of the Biblical character Samson lay in his seven locks. Samson, along with King Samuel, had taken the Nazarite vow of abstention from haircuts (as well as from wine and contact with corpses). Traditional Jews grow out their hair and refrain from shaving during the period of the Omer between the holidays of Pesach and Shavuot, with the exception of the 33rd day, Lag B’Omer. The curlycuecurlicue peyos behind some observant male Jews’ ears is an interpretation of a commandment in the Torah against cutting the sides of your hair. All of these are instances of elevating hair to a holy status to be revered and left alone. Traditional Jewish women also place special value on their manes. Because of the idea that a woman’s hair is attractive and beautiful, married women cover their hair and reveal its beauty to their husbands alone. This results in a system by which you can distinguish a married woman from a bachelorette. If a young woman flashes her strands, odds are that she is trying to attract a mate. Many women use hats or fabric shmattaes to cover their heads, but today’s most popular choice is the sheitel, a wig. Sheitels tend to be very high quality, human-hair wigs that can cost several hundred dollars. Most women match their sheitels to their natural hair color. This raises the question of the original purpose of covering one’s head; the sheitel is arguably just as flashy and immodest as the woman’s natural ‘do. Perhaps the sheitel is even sexier than the real thing—with a wig on, you rarely have a bad hair day. In present day Israel, hair is used as a status marker for men as it is globally for married and unmarried women. When a man is serving his compulsory time in the armed forces, he must keep his hair shaved or buzzed. Most men, upon leaving the army, react by growing their hair out, especially if traveling or going to school afterwards. In this instance, you can estimate how long a man has been out of the army by the length of his hair. Conclusions The term Jewish Hair, as used casually in American culture, is representative of the typical hair of a dominant New York Ashkenazi culture transmitted through popular communications and media. In reality, Jews around the globe have much more varied types of hair. Nevertheless, the odd fixation on hair that is at the root of this term continues to be passed on l’dor v’dor, from generation to generation. It’s a preoccupation that might never be teased out.
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