A
crew cut is a type of haircut in which the
hairHair is a protein filament that grows through the epidermis from follicles deep within the dermis. The fine, soft hair found on many nonhuman mammals is typically called fur; wool is the characteristically curly hair found on sheep and goats. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the...
on the top of the head is cut relatively short, graduated in length from the longest hair at the front hairline to the shortest at the back of the crown. The hair on the sides and back of the head is usually tapered short, semi-short or medium. A very short crew cut is sometimes referred to as a
butch cut or
buzz cutA buzz cut is the American name for a type of haircut named after the sound of the electric razor which is used to shear the hair very closely to the scalp. In the United Kingdom, the haircut is called a skinhead...
. A long crew cut is referred to in the US as an
ivy league crew cut or
ivy league. A typical ivy league might be graduated in length on the top of the head from one and a half inches at the front hairline to one half inch at the back of the crown. A typical short crew cut might have a similar proportional graduated difference in the length of the hair on the top of the head. If a short crew cut is three quarters of an inch at the front hairline, the length of the hair at the back of the crown might be one quarter of an inch. A crew cut where the hair on the top of the head is graduated in length from the front hairline to a chosen point on the mid to back part of the crown as a flat plane, of level, upward sloping or downward sloping inclination is known as a
flat top crew cut or
flattopA flattop is a type of very short hairstyle similar to the crew cut, with the exception that the hair on the top of the head is deliberately styled to stand up and is cut to be flat, resulting in a haircut that is square in shape...
. Crew cuts, flattop crew cuts, and butch cuts are all traditionally groomed with hair control wax, commonly referred to as
butch wax.
The term was most likely coined to describe the haircut worn by members of the
YaleYale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut, and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States. Yale has produced many notable alumni, including five...
rowingRowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
crew in the 1890s. The name drew a contrast with football players of the time, who wore long hair to compensate for the flimsy leather helmets. According to a history by helmet manufacturer
RiddellRiddell is an American company specializing in sports equipment for American football, baseball, basketball, lacrosse, soccer, softball, track and field, tennis, volleyball, National Football League, NCAA Football and wrestling. It is headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois.The company was started...
, the championship Yale football team switched to crew cuts in 1895, which became the style for football as well as crew and "remained in fashion for nearly 70 years".
The crew cut was adopted by the
United States armed forcesThe United States armed forces are the overall unified military forces of the United States.The history of the United States armed forces dates to 1775, even before the Declaration of Independence marked the establishment of the United States...
during
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, and became a
civilianA civilian under international humanitarian law is a person who is not a member of his or her country's armed forces. The term is also often used colloquially to refer to people who are not members of a particular profession or occupation, especially by law enforcement agencies, which often use...
fashion for men throughout the 1950s.
By the mid-1960s, the crew cut was generally seen as a mark of
conservativeConservatism is the diverse political and social philosophy that supports tradition and the status quo, or that calls for a return to the values and society of an earlier age, the status quo ante. However, the term has been used by politicians and political commentators with a variety of meanings...
political opinions, as opposed to the longer hair styles favored by those with more liberal views.
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