Comb over
A comb over or combover is a hairstyle commonly worn by bald or balding men in which the hair is grown long and combed over the bald area to minimize the appearance of baldness. Sometimes the part is lowered so that more hair can be used to cover the balding area.
In Japan, men with comb overs are called "bar code men" (バーコー"人), referring to the similarity between the striations caused by the comb and the UPC on products. The "barcode style" is called "bākōdo na kamigata" (バーコードな髪型).[1] In Russia this hairstyle is often humorously referred to as "internal loan" (внутренний заём) for resemblance to the corresponding economic practice.[2]
Patent
On May 10 1977, Donald J. Smith and his father, Frank J. Smith, of Orlando, Florida, were awarded a patent (U.S. Patent 4,022,227) for their variation of the comb over that conceals baldness by combing long hair in three separate directions.
Famous comb overs
Politicians
Ancient
- Julius Caesar combed his hair on the side.
- The Emperor Constantine combed his hair forward to disguise his receding hairline.[3]
Modern
- Famous businessman, television tycoon, and President of the United States Donald Trump has been lampooned for his comb over. Vanity Fair described it as a two-directional "double combover", made visible in harsh lighting,[4] and the Daily Mail called it an "astonishing coiffure".[5] Cautioning that it should not be confused "with a classic side-part comb-over", Time magazine published a four-step guide to emulating Trump's grooming process.[6] Stephen Marche described the unique comb over at length: "Behind the technical display of the comb-over, as counterpoint, the back is as traditional and old-fashioned as a haircut can be. It’s a classic ducktail. It’s such a classic that I have only seen it in movies set in the 1950s. .... In between the comb-over and the ducktail, between the two follicular spaces representing the modernistic and the atavistic, the fantastical and the nostalgic, there is a third tranche. Even in person you have to look closely to catch sight of it. It bulges, slightly but only slightly. It is the real part of the hair, the human part, the actual hair".[7]
- Algerian president Abdelaziz Bouteflika is known for his comb over in Algeria and neighbouring countries.[8]
- Belarus' president Alexander Lukashenko is known and often mocked for his comb over.
- Cambodia's President of the National Assembly, Heng Samrin.[9]
- China's Secretary of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, Wang Qishan.
- Germany's former CDU chairman Rainer Barzel was known as a comb over owner.
- Singapore's former Speaker of the Parliament, Tan Soo Khoon had a combover in the 1980s to conceal his receding hairline.[10]
- In Spain, the Basque nationalist politician Iñaki Anasagasti is noted for his comb over, and has lent his name to comb overs ("hairstyle a la Anasagasti").[11]
- United States Senator and former 2008 U.S. Presidential nominee, John McCain of the state of Arizona had a comb over.
Military
- American general and war-hero Douglas MacArthur was known for wearing an extreme comb over that he usually hid under his military hat.
Athletes
- World Cup winner Bobby Charlton was noted for his comb over in the UK.[12][13]
- Purdue University basketball coach Gene Keady wore his hair in a comb over for decades until 2013, when he shaved it off at the behest of his fiancée (now wife). He told a reporter in 2014 that he spent $600 a week on the hairstyle that included hair extensions and dye.[14]
Celebrities
- The former chairman of the UK game show Call My Bluff, Robert Robinson, is known as the "king of the comb over" in the UK.[15][16]
- In the 1980s UK television "photo booth" advertisements for Hamlet cigars, actor Gregor Fisher used his comb over to considerable comic effect.[17]
References
- ↑ Yonekawa, Akihiko (Editor) (2006). Slang Dictionary (3rd ed.). Tokyo.
- ↑ В.С. Елистратов (2002). Словарь русского арго (Dictionary of Russian slang).
- ↑ Stephenson, Paul (2010). Constantine, Roman Emperor, Christian Victor. Penguin. ISBN 9781468303001.
- ↑ Handy, Bruce (March 31, 2011). "Shocking Truth Behind Donald Trump's Hair Revealed?". Vanity Fair. Archived from the original on April 13, 2015. Retrieved January 4, 2015.
- ↑ Mcdermott, Nick; Nicolson, Stuart (June 11, 2008). "A step-by-step guide to the gravity-defying Donald Trump combover". Daily Mail Online. London. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ TIME staff (April 14, 2011). "The secret to Donald Trump's hair". TIME. Archived from the original on August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ↑ "The white man pathology: inside the fandom of Sanders and Trump", Theguardian.com, archived from the original on 3 March 2016, retrieved 24 February 2016
- ↑ "الرئيس". El-mouradia.dz. Archived from the original on 2012-05-13. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ Former Cambodian King, Prince Norodom Sihanouk (L) is welcomed by Chairman of the State Council of Cambodia Heng Samrin (R) and President of the National Assembly Chea Sim (C) upon arrival at Pochentong International Airport on November 14, 1991 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Prince Sihanouk returns to Cambodia for the first time in almost 13 years. The Asahi Shimbun via Getty Images, 14 November 1991, retrieved 7 February 2017
- ↑ Ministry of Information and the Arts, Singapore Deputy speaker of parliament, Tan Soo Khoon, taking his oath of allegiance as Member of Parliament (Alexandra) at the opening of parliament Archived 2017-02-11 at the Wayback Machine. National Archives of Singapore, 25 February 1985, retrieved 9 February 2017
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2009-10-16.
- ↑ Lewis, Rob. "Oxford Student - TT2005 Week 7 - Features - Charlton". Oxfordstudent.com. Archived from the original on 2005-11-18.
- ↑ Littlejohn, Georgina (3 March 2011). "David Beckham's hair emulates Bobby Charlton's comb-over". Daily Mail. London. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ Doyel, Gregg (November 12, 2014). "Doyel:Gene Keady spent how much on that combover". Indianapolis Star. Archived from the original on July 10, 2015.
- ↑ Dugdale, John (March 9, 2002). "Volume control". Books.guardian.co.uk. Archived from the original on October 16, 2007. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ "Ask the Family, BBC2, Monday". thecustard.tv. 2012-05-09. Archived from the original on 2008-05-16. Retrieved 2012-09-05.
- ↑ Hamlet commercial - Photo Booth on YouTube
Further reading
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Combover. |
- Walker, W. H. (2010). "Is the "Comb Over" Dying? A Mouse Model for Male Pattern Baldness (Androgenic Alopecia)". Endocrinology. 151 (5): 1981–3. doi:10.1210/en.2010-0217. PMID 20410210.