The Greatest Lobs Throughout History

By InStyle Staff
Aug 27, 2016 @ 2:00 pm

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Jean Harlow

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In the late 1930s, Harlow allowed her signature bob to extend toward her shoulders, and styled the length in tight, defined ringlets.

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2 of 31

Vivien Leigh

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Oh, Scarlett—you grow lovelier by the day! While filming Gone With the Wind, Vivien Leigh's lob was styled into a half-updo, featuring a duo of victory rolls on either side of her head.

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Norma Shearer 

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In her film The Barretts of Wimpole Street, Shearer gave her shoulder-length hair a center part with a series of sausage curls.

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Lupe Velez

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True to the trends of the 1940s, Velez set her crop in gorgeous, cascading pin curls. 

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Bette Davis

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Sure, Bette Davis' signature stare got immortalized in song thanks to Kim Carnes' '80s single, but we figure the inward curl and choppy, side-swept bangs accenting her lob are worthy of their very own melody.

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Rita Hayworth

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Hayworth's vibrant auburn featured a dramatic swoop at the bang area, creating a squared-off shape, and descended into structured waves.

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Dorothy Dandridge 

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Dandridge's style hit just below the nape of her neck, and got paired with short layers styled in soft, touchable curls. 

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Li Hua Li

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The varied texture of the actress's fringe complemented her shiny length. 

9 of 31

Lesley Gore

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In perfect 1960s fashion, Lesley Gore's voluminous lob was accented by dramatic flipped-in ends.

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Lena Horne

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Curled, above-the-brow fringe made for the perfect accent to Horne's smooth shoulder-length cut.

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Nancy Sinatra

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Her boots were made for walking—and Nancy Sinatra's flipped-out crop made for some serious hair inspiration for women of the '60s.

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Dionne Warwick

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The singer's pitch-perfect 'do showcased the trendy flip of the era, and major height around the crown.

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Elizabeth Taylor

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Though Taylor wore over 20 wigs for her role in Cleopatra, this tiered lob with baby bangs was an especially regal look the Queen of the Nile would certainly approve of. 

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Jackie Kennedy

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Reaching that perfect middle-ground between her chin and shoulders, who knew Jackie O's famed bouffant was decades ahead of the lob trend? 

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Sophia Loren

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Teamed with her signature winged liner, Sophia Loren's curled lob got an ultra-glam twist with a severe side part. 

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Nichelle Nichols

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The Star Trek beauty styled her shoulder-level 'do with an inward curl, and some gravity-defying volume at the top.

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Diana Ross

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Diana Ross' lob was pure '70s glamour, with its subtle height, center part, and feathered curls.

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Debbie Harry

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The original punk rock princess gave her shoulder-skimming layers a two-toned effect with choppy fringe.

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Tina Turner

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Tina Turner's strands later reached new heights in the '80s, when crimped, teased hair became the trend of the moment, but before then, her collarbone-length cut got a sleek texture for the Grammy Awards.

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Farrah Fawcett 

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Fawcett's feathered layers singlehandedly sparked the hair trend of the 1970s, but in '83, she swapped her trademark look for curly, below-the-chin layers.

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Karyn Parsons

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More often than not, Karyn Parsons—a.k.a. the fresh princess of Bel-Air, Hilary Banks—wore her natural curls at a lob length accented by a trendy, obviously designer, hat.

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Tiffani Thiessen

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After graduating from Bayside High, Kelly Kapowski Tiffani Thiessen celebrated her move off to Beverly Hills 90210—and bad gal on-screen persona Valerie—with a brand new 'do.

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Drew Barrymore

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Barrymore's '90s-era lob got a bold auburn tint with a trendy outward curl.

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Uma Thurman

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As the stylish Mia Wallace in Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman's lengthy bob with airy bangs was the style that launched a thousand copycats. 

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Jennifer Aniston

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The original "Rachel" crop classified as a shag, but in later seasons of Friends, Aniston grew her strands out into a soft layered look that hit just below the collarbone.

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Victoria Beckham

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Long before she made the asymmetrical "Pob" cut a trend, Victoria Beckham's very posh cut was her signature look during her days in the Spice Girls.

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Britney Spears 

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Almost all of the cool girls in the early '00s rocked a mid-level cut with contrasting blonde highlights, a la Britney Spears. 

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Lucy Liu

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In the mid-aughts, Lucy Liu gave her lob a throwback twist with retro finger waves. 

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Jessica Alba 

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Styles like Jessica Alba's marked the version of the lob that we know today, which featured leveled-out ends and longer layers all around. 

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Halle Berry 

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The side-swept long bangs and soft, tousled appearance of Halle Berry's lob gave off a cool, effortless vibe. 

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Lauren Conrad 

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The exact numbers escape us, but we're willing to bet that Lauren Conrad's Cali-girl lob, with its gradiated ombre effect, is one of the most popular #HairInspo pins on Pinterest.

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