The background of the DONUT HAIRDO

I had loved this hairstyle before it was worn by masses. A few years ago I had had a special plastic stick round which the hair had to be wrapped and then fastened. It did not have a look of a big bun with a lot of hair, but still looked classy.

Then, maybe a year or two ago, H&M started selling tons of these donut shaped rats. I bought one for myself too, of course. I consider it a quick possibility to get one´s hair done and add some elegance to the outfit but sadly it started to lack originality. I meet someone wearing this hairstyle at least once a day every day. Well, to be honest, I did not quit wearing the donut bun but at least I am wearing mine with a scarf wrapped round it or with some hair ornaments (because (a) it looks better to me than the plain, and now even very common, donut bun, (b) I am lazy to do the hairdo perfectly and the accessories take the focus off the messy bun).

Has anyone thought of where the hairstyle came from? I can be wrong but it reminds me of Japanese maiko hairdos called wareshinobu or momoware a lot. When you look at the procedure and the finished “product” you really can see the similarity. It also reminds the process of creating the donut hairstyle with a sock (yes! You do not necessarily need a hair rat, you can do just with a sock). Did you know geisha´s and maiko´s hairdos and ornaments have their meanings? You´d rather not know what you are telling with your donut bun to the world...

Ok, I will not be teasing you any longer, the momoware hairstyle is also called a split peach hairstyle and it has a sexual subtext because it was worn only by the maikos that lost their virginity (which was considered a very important moment in geiko´s career). Yes, their hairdo was announcing to the world such a thing. (If interested in more information on geiko´s hairdos check
this website.)
  
momoware hairstyle (source: Wikipedia)Wareshinobu hairstyle (source: Wikimedia)

 
PS: If you still do not know how to create this look, watch this video. The video is for short and medium length hair. For the long hair I recommend going one section of the ponytail after another and wrapping the hair two or three times round the rat.
 
 

Comments

  1. Well, I hate to point it out, but your maiko-hairstyle story isn't actually true (Memoires of a Geisha isn't actually a legit book or film concerning maiko/geiko rituals and lifestyle). Losing their virginity isn't part of the curriculum, and the hairstyles merely indicate in what stage of her training the maiko is, and with training I refer to their abilities to perform dances, play music and their conversational skills. Maiko debuts celebrate their accomplishments, much like we would celebrate receiving a master's degree. There's nothing sexual about it, and neither is the rest of their career. Yes they did have sexual relations, but only if they chose to and with people they loved, not with clients.

    Anyway, if you want to read up on what maiko and geiko do, I suggest Mineko Iwasaki's Geisha, A Life.

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    1. Yeah, I hate to point it out, but I did not mention Memoirs of a Geisha at all. I did not read Mineko Iwasaki´s book yet, but I think it would be biased too after the affair with Golden´s book. I do recommend reading books from Liza Dalby: Geisha and Lesley Downer: Geisha.

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  2. I made mine out of a sock from a tutorial and works perfectly

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    Replies
    1. When I heard about the sock technique I was quite surprised, I would never thought it could work.

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