Hair and Body Hair as Social Signifiers Explored in Paris Exhibition

The Musée des Arts Décoratifs (MAD) in Paris presents "Des cheveux et des poils," a comprehensive exhibition examining the cultural significance of hair and body hair in Western society from the Middle Ages to today. Curated by Denis Bruna, head of the fashion-textile department, the show features approximately 600 works including photographs, paintings, and tools. It traces how hairstyles and grooming have signaled status, identity, rebellion, and conformity across centuries. Highlights include medieval veils mandated by Saint Paul, the beards of Emperor Charles V and Kings Francis I and Henry VIII, Baroque coiffures like the hurluberlu and Fontange, Marie Antoinette's pouf, 19th-century mustaches, and 20th-century styles from Louise Brooks's garçonne to punk crests. The exhibition also addresses body hair, noting its near absence in art until Gustave Courbet's "L'Origine du monde" (1866). A section honors master hairdressers such as Léonard Autier (Marie Antoinette's stylist), Antoni Cierplikowski, Sydney Guilaroff (who worked on Vivien Leigh's hair for "Gone with the Wind"), and avant-garde artist Charlie Le Mindu. Fashion and politics intersect with Martin Margiela's hair coats, Angela Davis's afro, punk mohawks, hippie long hair, and Vivienne Westwood's shaved head for climate awareness. The exhibition concludes with a tribute to Iranian women, referencing Mahsa Amini's death on September 16, 2022, and the act of cutting hair as protest.