Chapter V: XXVI
The Flavian court–or, at least, Vespasian and Titus–strove to avoid the reputation for extravagance and profligacy of the previous regime, especially Nero’s excesses and empire-bankrupting expenditures on luxuries and banquets. Why then the elaborate coiffures of the Flavian women, which became de rigueur fashion for many wealthy women of the time?
I read an interesting commentary on that recently. The hairstyles, elaborate as they were, also could represent the opposite of extravagance. Poets joked about how the piles of curls and coils made a tiny woman look deceptively tall and regal, a rude trick on an admirer and a literally over-the-top fashion statement; but the detailed hairstyles, with their emphasis on precise architecture and dependence on upright posture, could represent order, morality, strictness, and creating refinement from chaos. Everything Vespasian and Titus wanted to present to the world about their new dynasty.
Have you seen the ancient hair tutorials (using ancient techniques!) by Janet Stephens? Here’s one showing a “Flavian lady’s” style!
http://youtu.be/Vs9fLwm-9-k
I’ve seen those! I haven’t watched the Flavian lady style, though.
I need more hair!
I watched the hair tutorial and feel that the curls she styles are a little too casual (I could imagine that look in the Roman revival styles of the early 1800’s, though). Rather a Flashdance poodle-do effect. The statues and busts we have show very tight, controlled curls, like pin curls, and I do think that Flavian women wore tight front curls, not loosely-tousled-teased curls.
That is some awesome side-eye in Panel 2. This scene makes her Maria Shriver to his Arnold, in a way. The politically smart one.
I don’t like to contradict the youtube hair expert (plus I had to watch the video with the sound off so I don’t know if she definitively states that all these styles were loosely fluffed up bangs/fringes with hairpieces in the back for the braids)–but if the Romans wanted to depict loose curls in the more detailed portraits, they would have. So it’s a puzzler.
My mother does talk about doing rag-curling for precise, tight curls. The elevation and precision of some of the hairstyles seems beyond frothy teasing and fixative, though; a few show a sort of tiara of scaffolding. For a woman with less-skilled hairdressers, a hairpiece would be easier.
Of course, I didn’t live through 60s bouffants, so what do I know about what loftiness and precision can be achieved with enough teasing and proper hairspray 🙂
I think this tutorial is to show how the hair was done on someone who didn’t have the natural attributes (i.e. Short straight hair). She does mention that the curls could be natural or they could be left unteased. She does do the tight curls on a dummy somewhere else
I’ll have to check the rest of the videos for more hairdressing tips. Iusta is overdue for a big-city makeover.
On tight pin curls, and hairstyling, I’m sure there were substances available that could help hold hair tightly—I’m thinking, even possibly a preparation of beeswax might work, thinned with oil perhaps (in other words, pomade). I’m not familiar enough with the literature to be authoritative, though. Certainly in later eras there is much precedent for ladies with elaborate hair sleeping with protective scarves or just propped up in order to keep the do relatively intact. You wouldn’t want to wash, set, and curl every day (time-consuming for one thing).
I *did* live through the 60’s… I remember messing around with “bouffant” hairstyles with my girlfriends when we were growing up. It involved some serious “backcombing” (aka ratting), and lots and LOTS of hairspray. (My own hair was too smooth and straight to hold the backcombing effect for longer than about 5 minutes.) And the vigorous backcombing tended to be hard on your hair. I never did like the shellacked look, myself. I always thought, if you wanted a boy to touch your hair, it should feel nicer than a lacquered surface.
Domitian is not a happy camper. It seems that Domitia has not only spoiled his males-only party but also has enabled Mus to escape his clutches.
She’s trying to get him out of the cat’s clutches, anyway.
Will she succeed…?
Will Felix be at this party? Will Felix and Mus just miss running into each other? Will mus get his poppy juice? Will Sweetums do the Charleston? Will we ever learn the name of Urbana’s daughter? And what’s that cow doing on the arch?
At a different one, alas.
They miss each other very much.
Domitian probably put it down the drainpipe.
Indubitably.
It just came to me this morning.
That is a mystery for the ages.
Yeah, Domitia steps up. I’m liking her better and better.
And the side view that shows her big hair is a facade, not a beehive. (Probably we’ve seen this before, and I didn’t notice. :D)
The hair tutorial on youtube shows teasing up the hair to get that elevated coif in front, but I’m sure a fancy lady would have plenty of hair pieces to augment it.
I should point out that this to-do over a hair do predates the invention of garter belts, black hose and hi heel shoes. I’m just saying.
I can get you a nice pair of platform actor shoes, prostitute footwear, or mud-protectors for your ancient gallivanting, but no actual high heels or glimpse of stocking.
Roman men got very agitated sometimes over women’s hair, makeup, and jewelry. I’m surprised no one managed to pass an anti-bouffant law.
Also, hairstyling is labor-intensive, but apart from taking skilled labor [from household slaves, I imagine] doesn’t really cost anything.
You can’t bankrupt the Republic by having your hair did too often – when the marginal cost is zero – in comparison to buying too many jewels or throwing too expensive of parties…
But think of the moral cost of women being concerned with their own appearance instead of the household and doting on their families! Spending time on vanity instead of weaving fine togas for their men! Also what if some rogue actor finds them attractive and swoops in for their attentions? Immorality springs from fancifying your hair.
Ma’am?
I guess. It’s the first term that came to mind in English. I might change it.
I would assume that the Latin term Mus would have used would have been magistra; “ma’am” is probably as close as you could get in English…
I think he’s just being polite to a high-ranking lady.
I understand that the strict styles that the vestals wore could have been related to the formal hairstyles of the patrician court women, thus reinforcing the idea of discipline over extravagance. Also, hair extensions may have been worn and like those lovely long thin braids that you sometimes see nowadays on women with nappy hair, this is not a style you take on and off, it is one that you wear for perhaps weeks, which means that it may have been less extravagant than one that gets put up every day. Finally, I understand that many of the earliest hairstyles began as practical efforts to keep hair out of the way securely, so that may still have been the connotation.
Having put up those styles on myself and friends for years, I can say that a properly skilled ornatrix can get them done much faster than you think. A complex style that is new can take up to, even over an hour, but a familiar style could go up in twenty minutes.
That’s a reasonable amount of time. Even fast, considering how long it takes me to get ready on bad-hair days 🙂