Bangs (hair)

Bangs, also known as a fringe, is a shaped cutting of the front part of the hair so that it lies over the forehead. Bangs are usually cut fairly straight at or above the eyebrows, but can also be ragged or ruffled, spiked up with hair gel, mousse or wax, swept to one side or the other, or cut longer to fall over the eyes.

The term bangs originally referred to hair cut bang-off (i.e. straight across at the front), although the term is now applied to diverse forms of hair stylings. It is probably related to bang-tail, a term still used for the practice of cutting horses' tails straight across. The term fringe refers to the resemblance of the short row of hair to ornamental fringe trim, such as that often found on shawls.

Bangs occur naturally in many styles of short hair-cuts.

Hairstyles that feature bangs have come and gone out of fashion as frequently as other hairstyles, and they can be worn in any number of ways. Influential people with bangs in modern times have included silent movie actress Louise Brooks, 1950s glamor model Bettie Page, the Beatles, and actress Elizabeth Taylor in the role of Cleopatra.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, curly, teased bangs were in fashion, often held high in place with copious amounts of hair spray. In 2007, bangs saw another massive revival as a hair trend, this time thick, deep and blunt-cut. In October 2007, style icon and model Kate Moss changed her hairstyle to have bangs, signalling the continuation of the trend into 2008.

In the 1970s, English actress and singer Jane Birkin helped establish the iconic look of brow-length bangs combined with overall long hair.

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