TheEton crop is a type of very short, slicked-downcrop hairstyle for women.[1]
It became popular during the 1920s because it was ideal to showcase the shape ofcloche hats.[1] It was worn byJosephine Baker, among others.[1] The name derives from its similarity to a hairstyle allegedly popular with schoolboys atEton.[2]
The Eton crop appears to have emerged inBritain in the mid-1920s: the first use of the phrase inThe Times is in September 1926.[citation needed]
It is a severe hairstyle, emphasising the shape of the head and focusing interest on the face. In June 1927Margot Asquith, Lady Oxford, derided: "Women with neither backs nor tops to their heads, and faces as large as hams, appear at the King's Drawing Rooms with thenuque of their necks blue from shaving...".[3] By 1930 it had become outmoded among the most fashionable.[citation needed]
A critic reviewing a collection of society portraits notes: "Hairdressing is in a state of transition. There is an Eton crop, there are many softshingles, and there are a few heads where the hair is being let grow."[4]
It was the haircut of choice for the more masculine lesbians in the lesbian subculture, particularly in England, during its time of popularity.[5]
British family photographs (1901-53)
