WOMEN, FASHION & HIGH HAIR | From the 18th century to Amy Winehouse with Gillian Russell

One of the most enduring images of 18th century culture is the fashion for enormous hairstyles, evoked in films such as Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (1975) and echoed in the style of the tragic pop diva, Amy Winehouse.

In this illustrated talk Gillian Russell outlines the roots of the fashion in the 18th century. Rather than being a sign of excess and frivolity, high hair was a moment of historical significance which announced the emergence of the public woman as a force to be reckoned with.

The talk will explore what the cultural historian Grant McCracken describes as ‘the astonishing purpose’ women have found for their hair.

Gillian Russell is an academic at the Australian National University, Canberra, who researches and teaches British 18th century and Romantic culture with a focus on theatre, sociability and gender.

This lecture is kindly supported by The Friends of The Johnston Collection.

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/from-the-archive-amy-winehouse-act-two-this-time-i-know-what-is-going-on-1.1032731