Kim Zolciak of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and Louis-Auguste II de Bourbon, prince de Dombes, around 1755 (via Slate)
Simon Doonan has a delightful article on Slate about the Real Housewives, 17th century monarchs and big hair. A sample:
Today’s shoulder length mega-tresses have only one precedent: the man-wigs of 17th-century Europe. Instead of trying to look merely healthy—just naturally lustrous—women now strive to look as much as possible like a bewigged aristo of yore. Every gal is coiffed with the powerful pompous abundance of the Sun King. Grab your periwigs, girls, because the Duke of Marlborough is totally back!
It’s interesting that back in the day long hair was a symbol of power and virility for men (going as far back as Samson in the Old Testament). The bigger your hair — or wig — the more important your position. Now, in Western nations, the opposite is true, even for women. Scan the heads of female Congresswomen or judges and you won’t find much that extends beyond the shoulder.
