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Ponytail

language culture Maturity 11-13 Next article →

A ponytail is a popular way to style hair. To make one, you pull some or all of the hair away from the face. You gather it at the back of the head and secure it. You might use a hair tie, a clip, or another accessory. The hair then hangs freely from that point.

Tied Ponytail
Tied Ponytail

It gets its name because it looks like the tail of a pony. You can wear it at the middle of the head or the base of the neck. Some people even wear it on the side or the very top. If the hair is divided into two sections, it might be called pigtails or twintails.

Avatar The Way of Water Tokyo Press Conference Zoe Saldaña (52563505738) (cropped) (cropped)
Avatar The Way of Water Tokyo Press Conference Zoe Saldaña (52563505738) (cropped) (cropped)

This hairstyle has a very long history. Records from Ancient Greece show women wearing ponytails in art. Some frescoes in Crete date back to 2000–1500 BC.

Street Parade 2013 033
Street Parade 2013 033

It is likely the style started in Greece and spread to other places. Egyptian and Roman art also show women with this look. In the 1700s, many men in Europe wore long hair tied with a ribbon. They called this a queue, which is the French word for "tail."

Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014
Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014

Eventually, most European armies required men to wear short hair instead.

In Asia, the queue was a very important symbol. From 1645 until 1910, men in the Qing dynasty wore a long braid. This was a style used by the Manchu people.

Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880
Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880

They required the Han Chinese to wear it to show power. To wear the queue, men shaved the front and sides of their heads. They left only a small portion of hair to be braided. This was a hard rule for many people. The queue style finally ended after many years of protest and reform.

Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880
Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880

Today, people use ponytails for many different reasons. It is a very practical choice for many jobs. It keeps hair out of the eyes during sports or in labs. Many school-aged girls like it because it is simple to do. They can easily redo their hair after a sports class.

Street Parade 2013 033
Street Parade 2013 033

Some people use a scrunchie, which is a soft hair tie. Scrunchies are often seen as better for the hair than regular ties. In the 1980s and 1990s, high ponytails with scrunchies were very common. Even rock musicians in the 1970s made long ponytails popular.

Scientists even use math to study how hair behaves. They created a Ponytail Shape Equation to understand the shape of a hair bundle. This math looks at gravity and how much the hair curls.

Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014
Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014

They use something called the Rapunzel number to help. This number helps predict if hair will fan out or hang straight down. This math is very useful for people who make computer animations. However, people must be careful not to tie hair too tight. Pulling the hair too hard can cause headaches or hair loss.

Tied Ponytail
Tied Ponytail
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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:Avatar The Way of Water Tokyo Press Conference Zoe Saldaña (52563505738) (cropped) (cropped).jpg
Avatar The Way of Water Tokyo Press...
File:Tied Ponytail.JPG
Tied Ponytail.JPG
File:Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880.JPG
Chinese Meal by Lai Afong, c1880.JPG
File:Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014.jpg
Håkan Håkansson in October, 2014.jpg
File:Street Parade 2013 033.jpg
Street Parade 2013 033.jpg
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