$70 1980s Suburban Woman’s Haircut

Big, teased, and sprayed hair became a symbol of celebrity, glamor, and wealth in the 1980s. The style countered the hippy culture looks of the 1970s, long and straight and parted in the middle, just like Peggy Lipton from the Mod Squad. It also arguably appropriated the 1960s and 1970s freestyles some African Americans wore. Suburban hairstylists famously made bad versions of these styles.

I wore big hair once, in the late 1980s, for one night. My law firm hosted a formal party for all the lawyers, staff, and their significant others. I found a dress and got my hair…