What Is A Pompadour

To get things started, let us first take a look at what exactly a pompadour is. The basic gist of things is having a large volume of hair swept upwards from the face and worn high over the forehead, sometimes upswept around the sides and back as well.

The Origins of the Pompadour Hairstyle

The pompadour actually dates back a hell of a lot further than one would think. It also has rather peculiar origins and first emerged amongst woman in seventeenth century France. 

It is believed that the name pompadour came from an eighteenth-century Frenchwoman, Jean Antoinette Poisson (1721–1764), AKA the Marquise de Pompadour and mistress of King Louis XV. She wore her hair high up in this style and it became quite fashionable during Louis’ reign, especially amongst other members of his court. After her, the name pompadour was given to hair worn in the same fashion as she did.

Making It On The Big Stage

The popularity of the pompadour ebbed and waned over time but remained a woman’s hairstyle until a surprising evolution was made onto the heads of rebellious young men in the nineteen fifties and sixties. The hairstyle was widely adopted by gang members and was the staple in popular movies such as Grease and The Outsiders. The most famous of all male pompadours from this period was worn by none other than rock idol Elvis Presley, a man who surely needs no introduction.

The Modern Day Pompadour

Today the pompadour maintains a following the world over. It is ever popular with those interested in rockabilly culture and in places like Japan, it remains the token hairstyle for gangsters or ‘yakuza’. 

The pompadour is quite often worn in combination with a skin fade and this helps to transform the iconic hairstyle into a very contemporary and eye catching haircut for men today.

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