The beehive is a woman's hairstyle that resembles a beehive. It is also known as the B-52, for its similarity to the bulbous nose of the B-52 Stratofortress bomber. It originated in the USA in 1958 as one of a variety of elaborately teased and lacquered versions of "big hair" that developed from earlier pageboy and bouffant styles. The peak of its popularity was in the 1960s, and it was especially popular in the United States and other Western countries. The beehive remains an enduring symbol of 1960s kitsch. By the late 1960s the beehive became unfashionable, although it probably continued to influence later female hair styles.
The Beehive in the 1950s and 1960s
- Audrey Hepburn's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's sported a large fashionable beehive.
- Yeoman Janice Rand from the original 1960s Star Trek TV series wore a complex, 'futuristic' version of a beehive.
- In the Flintstones episode, "Fred's New Boss" (season three), Wilma Flinstone and Betty Rubble get their hair done in gigantic, elaborate beehives at a salon, and the pair drive their car very slowly to try to protect their hairdos. Unfortunately, their hairdos are destroyed after a very fast dinosaur vehicle passes by and blows them down.
Later Beehive usage
- The hairdo was resurrected by The B-52's, a New Wave rock band who took their name from the hairstyle.[citation needed]
- Gary Larson's "The Far Side" series features women who almost exclusively wear the Beehive.
- From the 1980s on, Coronation Street character Bet Lynch became known for her beehive.
- The 1985 Martin Scorsese movie After Hours features a waitress named Julie who's noted for her beehive hairdo, and general interest in other elements of 1960's pop culture.
- Marge Simpson's usual hairdo is an extreme, two-foot high, blue beehive.
- The hairdo was featured in John Waters' 1988 cult film, Hairspray.
- Amy Winehouse has returned to the public spotlight, with her new-found beehive hairstyle, as part of her reinvented image.
- The influential British pop singer Harriet Wheeler of the band The Sundays sports a fetching beehive.
- Christina Aguilera sported the look at the 2001 BET Awards.
- Patsy (Joanna Lumley) from the British TV series Absolutely Fabulous wears her hair almost exclusively in a beehive. In the episode "Fish Farm" you see her create her beehive with a fork.
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