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’Net Junkie Shawn "Speedy" Lopes |
Feathered hair
fanatics, here’s
your Web siteIt strikes me as odd that someone who has elected to go with a no-hassle, closely-shorn buzz cut like me should take an interest in the old feathered look of the late '70s and early '80s. But it's true. Not since high school have I had such a fascination for hair. And this time, it's not my own.
I suppose it began a few years ago with No Doubt's "Simple Kind of Life" music video, in which lead singer Gwen Stefani sports a sleek, feathery 'do. Save for its shimmering pink tint, it's a look that absolutely screams 1980. I've considered that I may be harboring some sort of psychosexual connection to the era, since puberty came calling about then, but I suppose it doesn't really matter. All I know is I fancy a woman with feathery locks. It's a hot look.
Just ask Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Beyoncé Knowles, all of whom have been spotted parading this retro hairstyle at www.featheredback.com. It's a Web site dedicated to those fluffy locks of yore, complete with photos of such comely celebrities as Heather Graham, Drew Barrymore, Mandy Moore, Gina Gershon, Uma Thurman and Björk wearing newfangled versions of the "winged back" look.
The site's "Feathers Then" page offers way-back-when shots of Heather Locklear, Judy Landers, Susan Anton and Jaclyn Smith (grrrrowl!) in all their feathery glory.
The Web site also sheds some light on the history of the look, going back as far as 1971, when the Partridge Family's David Cassidy first championed a tamer version of the hairstyle. The site also argues that while Farrah Fawcett's wild, billowy plumage made her the unofficial pinup girl for the feathered look (her famous red bathing suit poster sold more than 8 million copies), it was actually Valerie Bertinelli's impossibly symmetrical middle-part that most young women emulated.
At www.featheredback.com, guests are encouraged to submit photos, as did Donna from Texas ("Donna has been wearing her hair feathered since 1977, and it still looks good on her!"), Viki ("A self-proclaimed '80s girl who says she will feather forever!") and Samm ("Our featured featherer from Down Under"). Its yearbook section boasts high school head shots of guys and gals who once preferred a full-bodied cut, split straight down the center (well, who didn't?).
’Net Junkie drops every Monday.
Contact Shawn "Speedy" Lopes at slopes@starbulletin.com.
Note: Web sites mentioned in this column were active at time of publication. The Honolulu Star-Bulletin neither endorses nor is responsible for their contents.
