Pigtails
Encyclopedia
Braid
A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...
of tightly woven 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....
. The name is based on the short, thin and kinked tail
Tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of an animal's body; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammals, reptiles, and birds...
of a pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, referring to the way a short, tight braid may stand out from the scalp through asymmetric
Symmetry
Symmetry generally conveys two primary meanings. The first is an imprecise sense of harmonious or aesthetically pleasing proportionality and balance; such that it reflects beauty or perfection...
tension of the weave. However, the term may also apply to a single braid
Braid
A braid is a complex structure or pattern formed by intertwining three or more strands of flexible material such as textile fibres, wire, or human hair...
regardless of length or tension, focusing instead on the knobby texture of the overall structure. In Japanese-manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
this hairstyle is often termed as twin tail (ツインテール), however in daily-life its called Osage (おさげ).
Alternatively, the plural term pigtails may be applied to a pair of two braids or ponytails on opposite sides of the head. In British English the term "pigtail" or "pigtails" refers specifically to bunched hair that has been plaited (braided). In places where this usage is common, unplaited pairs are called 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...
and a single bunch, regardless of position on the head, is called a ponytail
Ponytail
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...
.
Word origin and usage
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Chewing tobacco
Chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco Chewing tobacco (also known colloquially as hoobastank, backy, tobac, doogooos,Hogleg, chewpoos, chits, chewsky, chawsky, dip, flab, chowers, guy, or a wad, as well as referred to as dipsky, snuff, a pinch, a yopper, a Packing a bomb, a tobbackey or packing a...
. One of the steps in processing the tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
was to twist a handful of leaves together to form a compact bunch that would then be cured (dried, either with or without smoking). The term "pigtail" was applied to the bunch based on its resemblance to a twisted pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
's tail.
From the later 17th century through the 19th century, the term came to be applied to any braided (plaited, in British parlance) hairstyle. The British army also adopted a single pigtail or "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:...
" as its standard dress for long hair.
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Stevenson
Robert Louis Balfour Stevenson was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer. His best-known books include Treasure Island, Kidnapped, and Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde....
mentions "pigtail" referring to hair and then to "pigtail tobacco" in the first and fourth chapters of Treasure Island, respectively.
Most dictionaries still define "pigtail" as a single tight braid. However, many American English speakers use the term to describe two symmetrical bunches of hair on either side of the head, braided or not. In some cases, the term only applies to unbraided hair. This usage of the term can be seen on personal and professional websites devoted to hairstyles or even by typing "pigtails" into a search engine.
Styles
There are numerous styles of pigtails a person may wear their hair in. They may be braided, straightened, beaded, ribboned, in buns, fishtailed, and even French braidFrench braid
A French braid, or French plait, is a type of braided hairstyle.-Description:Unlike the simplest form of three-strand braid, in which all of the hair is initially divided into three sections which are simultaneously gathered together near the scalp , a French braid starts with three small sections...
ed. Pigtails can be placed on different parts of a person's head: high, low, or to the side.
In many regions, pigtail bunches and pigtail braids are traditionally given to very young girls, though it is not unusual for younger and fully grown women to wear them as well in informal situations. It is very rare for men or boys to wear pigtail bunches.
In Britain, pigtails do not convey a childish connotation. Even to this day British barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
s wear a wig
Wig
A wig is a head of hair made from horsehair, human hair, wool, feathers, yak hair, buffalo hair, or synthetic materials which is worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. The word wig is short for periwig and first...
with pigtails as a sign of their authority.
In some regions of China, traditional culture related the wearing of pigtails to a girl's marital status. A young, unmarried, Chinese girl would often wear two buns
Bun (hairstyle)
A bun is a type of hairstyle, typically worn by women, where the hair is pulled back from the face, twisted or plaited, and wrapped in a circular coil around itself, typically on the back of the head or neck. They can either be secured with a hairpiece, a hairnet and bobby pins. They may be...
, or bundles of hair on either side of the head to display her availability to prospective husbands. This style of pigtails is sometimes referred to as "ox horns." However, when this girl would marry, the two pigtails, or buns, would be replaced with just one, thus indicating her marriage. It is thought that this may have led to the Western view of pigtails being typically associated with children and young girls; unmarried Chinese girls who had immigrated to the Western world would still wear their hairstyles as they had in China. This cultural aspect gradually spread to Westerners, although its meaning was largely lost. It is worth noting, however, that Chinese boys and men did not change their hairstyle regardless of marital status.
See also
- Pigtail OrdinancePigtail OrdinanceThe Pigtail Ordinance was an 1873 law intended to force prisoners in San Francisco, California to have their hair cut within an inch of the scalp. While the law did not discriminate between races, it affected Han Chinese prisoners in particular, as it meant they would have their queue, a...
- French braidFrench braidA French braid, or French plait, is a type of braided hairstyle.-Description:Unlike the simplest form of three-strand braid, in which all of the hair is initially divided into three sections which are simultaneously gathered together near the scalp , a French braid starts with three small sections...
- PonytailPonytailA 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...
- BunchesBunchesBunches are a hairstyle in which the hair is parted down the middle and gathered into two symmetrical bundles, like ponytails, secured near the scalp...
- QueueQueue (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:...
- List of hairstyles