bouffant

A bouffant (IPA pronunciation: [buːfɑːnt]) is a type of hairstyle characterized by hair piled high on the head and hanging down on the sides. It was a mainstream hairstyle in the mid-to-late 17th century in western Europe. In modern times, the bouffant was popular in Western culture in the 1960s, when it was created with the help of back-combing and large amounts of hairspray.

A bouffant cap (from its resemblance to the hairstyle) is a type of cap that completely covers the hair for use in cleanrooms and other situations where it is important to avoid loose hairs. They are usually made of polypropylene or some other non-woven material, with an elastic band around the rim to keep it tight around the forehead and the back of the head below the hairline. As they can be worn by any sex and over any hairstyle, bouffant caps are a popular and economical choice of workplace head covering. Cafeteria workers' hairnets and hospital scrub hats are two common examples of bouffant-style caps.

Etymology

The word bouffant comes from Middle French, from present participle of bouffer: "to puff, puffed out."

Examples of the bouffant hairstyle

• Miss Yvonne from Pee-wee's Playhouse always has her hair in this style
• Katey Sagal intentionally parodies the 1960s look for her character Peggy Bundy in Married... With Children by wearing a red bouffant wig.
• The character Fran Fine of The Nanny has large bouffant hairstyle.
• Kerry Fraser, a referee in the NHL is well known for his bouffant hairstyle.
• Gardevoir from the Pokémon franchise.
• Patsy Stone from Absolutely Fabulous is rarely seen without the Bouffant in this BBC series
• Margaret Thatcher, First and only female british prime minister.
• Tracy Turnblad in "Hairspray" (1988,Ricki Lake and in 2007, Nikki Blonsky)

See also

• Beehive (hairstyle)
• Haircut
• Big hair

External links

• Hairstyle archives
• "Beauty and the Bouffant" gallery

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