Ponytail
Encyclopedia
A ponytail is a hairstyle
in which most or all of the hair
on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie
, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail
of a horse
or pony
. Ponytails are most commonly gathered at the middle of the back of the head, or the base of the neck. Depending on fashions, they may also be worn at the side of the head (which is sometimes considered formal) which is worn over one ear, or on the very top of the head (allowing the hair to fall down the back or one side of the head).
If the hair is divided so that it hangs in two sections they are bunches
or pigtails if left loose, or pigtails or braids if plaited. Unbraided ponytails worn above each ear are sometimes called dog-ears.
It is common for those who wear tight ponytails to experience traction alopecia
, a form of hair loss. Sometimes it will cause a headache.
Women (as opposed to girls) complying with European fashion of the Georgian period and to the 20th century rarely were seen outside of the boudoir with their hair in such an informal style as a ponytail.
Today, women commonly wear their hair in ponytails in informal and office settings or when exercising; they are likely to choose more-elaborate styles (such as braids and those involving accessories) for formal occasions. It is a practical choice as it keeps hair out of the eyes. It will keep the hair off the neck as well. The ponytail is also popular with school-aged girls, partly because flowing hair is often associated with youth and because of its simplicity; a young girl is likely to be able to retie her own hair after a sports class, for example.
). Steven Seagal
's ponytail in Marked for Death
is an example of such.
Men who wear their hair long, or sometimes in mullets
, frequently tie it back into a ponytail, but avoid the top- or side-of-the-head variants, although these variants can be used for practical reasons for keeping it off the neck.
In the second half of the 18th century, most men in Europe
wore their hair long and tied back into what we would now describe as a ponytail, although it was sometimes gathered into a silk bag rather than allowed to hang freely. At that time, it was commonly known by the French
word for "tail", queue
. It was a mandatory hairstyle for men in all European armies until the early 19th century, after most civilians had stopped wearing queues. The British Army
was the first to dispense with it, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars
most armies had changed their regulations to make short hair compulsory.
"Queue
" was also the word used to refer to the waist-length pigtail which the ruling Manchu
s made Han Chinese
men wear during the Qing Dynasty
in China
.
Hairstyle
A hairstyle, hairdo, or haircut refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human head. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal grooming, fashion, and cosmetics, although practical, cultural, and popular considerations also influence some hairstyles.-History of...
in which most or all of the hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie
Scrunchie
A scrunchie is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie, commonly used to fasten long hair. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs....
, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail
Tail (horse)
The tail of the horse and other equines consists of two parts, the dock and the skirt. The dock consists of the muscles and skin covering the coccygeal vertebrae. The term "skirt" refers to the long hairs that fall below the dock...
of a horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
or pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
. Ponytails are most commonly gathered at the middle of the back of the head, or the base of the neck. Depending on fashions, they may also be worn at the side of the head (which is sometimes considered formal) which is worn over one ear, or on the very top of the head (allowing the hair to fall down the back or one side of the head).
If the hair is divided so that it hangs in two sections they are bunches
Bunches
Bunches are a hairstyle in which the hair is parted down the middle and gathered into two symmetrical bundles, like ponytails, secured near the scalp...
or pigtails if left loose, or pigtails or braids if plaited. Unbraided ponytails worn above each ear are sometimes called dog-ears.
It is common for those who wear tight ponytails to experience traction alopecia
Traction alopecia
Traction alopecia is a form of alopecia, or gradual hair loss, caused primarily by pulling force being applied to the hair. This commonly results from the sufferer frequently wearing his/her hair in a particularly tight ponytail, pigtails, or braids...
, a form of hair loss. Sometimes it will cause a headache.
Ponytails on women and girls
Today, women commonly wear their hair in ponytails in informal and office settings or when exercising; they are likely to choose more-elaborate styles (such as braids and those involving accessories) for formal occasions. It is a practical choice as it keeps hair out of the eyes. It will keep the hair off the neck as well. The ponytail is also popular with school-aged girls, partly because flowing hair is often associated with youth and because of its simplicity; a young girl is likely to be able to retie her own hair after a sports class, for example.
As a man's hairstyle
In the late 1980s, a short ponytail was seen as an edgy, "in-your-face" look for men who wanted to stand out from the crowd, but keep their hair flat and functional (cf mulletMullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
). Steven Seagal
Steven Seagal
Steven Frederic Seagal is an American action film star, producer, writer, martial artist, guitarist and reserve deputy sheriff. A 7th-dan black belt in Aikido, Seagal began his adult life as an Aikido instructor in Japan...
's ponytail in Marked for Death
Marked for Death
Marked for Death is a 1990 action film directed by Dwight H. Little. It stars Steven Seagal as John Hatcher, a former DEA troubleshooter. Upon moving back to his home town, Hatcher finds it taken over by a gang of vicious Jamaican drug dealers, led by Screwface.The film is widely considered by...
is an example of such.
Men who wear their hair long, or sometimes in mullets
Mullet (haircut)
The mullet is a hairstyle that is short at the front and sides, and long in the back. . The mullet began to appear in popular media in the 1960s and 1970s but did not become generally well-known until the early 1980s...
, frequently tie it back into a ponytail, but avoid the top- or side-of-the-head variants, although these variants can be used for practical reasons for keeping it off the neck.
In the second half of the 18th century, most men in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
wore their hair long and tied back into what we would now describe as a ponytail, although it was sometimes gathered into a silk bag rather than allowed to hang freely. At that time, it was commonly known by the French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
word for "tail", queue
Queue (hairstyle)
The queue or cue is a hairstyle in which the hair is worn long and gathered up into a ponytail. It was worn traditionally by certain Native American groups and the Manchu of Manchuria.-Manchu Queue:...
. It was a mandatory hairstyle for men in all European armies until the early 19th century, after most civilians had stopped wearing queues. The British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
was the first to dispense with it, and by the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
most armies had changed their regulations to make short hair compulsory.
"Queue
Queue (hairstyle)
The queue or cue is a hairstyle in which the hair is worn long and gathered up into a ponytail. It was worn traditionally by certain Native American groups and the Manchu of Manchuria.-Manchu Queue:...
" was also the word used to refer to the waist-length pigtail which the ruling Manchu
Manchu
The Manchu people or Man are an ethnic minority of China who originated in Manchuria . During their rise in the 17th century, with the help of the Ming dynasty rebels , they came to power in China and founded the Qing Dynasty, which ruled China until the Xinhai Revolution of 1911, which...
s made Han Chinese
Han Chinese
Han Chinese are an ethnic group native to China and are the largest single ethnic group in the world.Han Chinese constitute about 92% of the population of the People's Republic of China , 98% of the population of the Republic of China , 78% of the population of Singapore, and about 20% of the...
men wear during the Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....
in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.