‘Status and Culture’ Review: Making the Cut
source link: https://www.wsj.com/articles/status-and-culture-book-review-making-the-cut-11665151509
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‘Status and Culture’ Review: Making the Cut
When W. David Marx was 8 years old, he saw a photo of the Beatles on a cassette tape of their early hits. With their moptop haircuts, he thought they looked just like him and his brother—and many other guys in their conservative southern town. He was amazed to learn that just 20 years earlier those haircuts had been the flashpoint of a trans-Atlantic culture war.
Mr. Marx, a Tokyo-based writer on culture and fashion, opens “Status and Culture” on the scene of the conflict. Originally adopted by the “lost Beatle” Stu Sutcliffe, the haircut began as an imitation of German art students who were themselves imitating French styles. After first mocking their bandmate, the rest of the Beatles embraced the style to distinguish themselves from other aspiring British musicians. The subsequent hysteria—“They look like girls!” was a common objection—added to the band’s aura. Eventually, even folks with crew cuts got used to moptops, and the Beatles moved on to what Mr. Marx calls “full-length hippie locks.”
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