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hairy situations
March 12, 2013

29 of the Best Bob Haircuts in History

By Christina Han

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Photo: Corbis, Splash News, Corbis

Last fall, Karlie Kloss caused quite a stir when she showed up to the Victoria’s Secret fashion show — a place where long legs and long hair are celebrated in equal measure — with a short, chin-skimming crop. But a hundred or so years before there was Karlie, there was an American dancer known as Irene Castle, who spent much of her early career dancing across Europe and picking up stylish notions, eventually chopping off her long hair into what is now known as the bob. She’s credited with bringing the look Stateside back in the early 1900s, and this soon became the cut to have for all the flapper girls. From then until now, there’s been an epic list of ladies who have shorn their hair, from Clara Bow to Courtney Love. Click through our slideshow to see the other notable participants, including supermodels (Linda, Naomi), one Spice Girl, a pint-size Natalie Portman, and more.

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1 / 29 Photos
The Original Helmet: Louise Brooks, circa 1925–1945  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Beret-ed Bob: Greta Garbo, circa 1930s  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Kind-of-Curly Bob: Bette Davis, 1934  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The First Lady Bob: Jackie Kennedy, 1961  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Amped-Up Diva Bob: The Supremes, 1965  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Sexy Bob: The Faye Dunaway, circa 1967  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Badass Bob: Debbie Harry, 1975  Photo: Anthony Barboza
The Elegant Bob: Isabella Rosselini  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Heathers Bob: Winona Ryder, 1989  Photo: Terry O’Neill/2005 Getty Images
The Protege Assassin Bob: Natalie Portman in The Professional, 1994  Photo: Patrick Camboulive/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Tarantino Bob: Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction, 1994  Photo: © Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
She Can Do No Wrong Bob: Linda Evangelista, 1996  Photo: Mitchell Gerber/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Cleaning Up My Act Bob: Courtney Love, 1997  Photo: Steve Starr/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Flower Child Bob: Drew Barrymore, 1998  Photo: Gregory Pace/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Great Expectations Bob: Gwyneth Paltrow, 1998  Photo: Frank Trapper/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The End of 'the Haircut' Bob: Jennifer Aniston, 1999  Photo: Ron Galella, Ltd./2001 Ron Galella, Ltd.
The Gotta Be Different Bob: Kelly Rowland, 2002  Photo: Frank Trapper/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Bad Mistake Bob: Sarah Jessica Parker, 2002  Photo: Frank Trapper/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Just-This-Once Bob: Charlize Theron, 2005  Photo: Kevin Winter/2005 Getty Images
We-Miss-This-Bob Bob: Victoria Beckham, 2007  Photo: Mark Savage/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Most-Likely-a-Wig Bob: Naomi Campbell, 2007  Photo: Jean-Paul Aussenard
The Umbrella-ella-ella-eh Bob: Rihanna, 2007  Photo: Edward Le Poulin/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Suri Bob: Katie Holmes, 2008  Photo: Phil McCarten/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The British Bob: Keira Knightley, 2010  Photo: Stephane Cardinale/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Ultimate Bob: Anna Wintour, 2010  Photo: LAN/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The California Girl Bob: Cameron Diaz, 2012  Photo: Jon Kopaloff/2012 Jon Kopaloff
The "Girl on Fire" Bob: Alicia Keys, 2012  Photo: Stephane Cardinale/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
The Anti-Model Bob: Karlie Kloss, 2013  Photo: Splash News
The Newest Bob: Naomi Watts, 2013  Photo: Zacharie Scheurer/© Corbis. All Rights Reserved.
1 / 29

Tags:

  • courtney love
  • beauty
  • hairy situations
  • drew barrymore
  • kelly rowland
  • sarah jessica parker
  • rihanna
  • jackie o
  • jackie kennedy
  • greta garbo
  • faye dunaway
  • uma thurman
  • the supremes
  • karlie kloss
  • natalie portman
  • gwyneth paltrow
  • katie holmes
  • victoria beckham
  • anna wintour
  • louise brooks
  • naomi campell
  • winona ryder
  • jennifer aniston
  • charlize theron
  • cameron diaz
  • debbie harry
  • linda evangelista
  • isabella rosselini
  • keira knightly
  • alicia keys
  • bob haircut
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