Scrunchie
A scrunchie (or scrunchy) is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types.[1] The elastic hair tie is encased in loose fabric that forms a ruffle when twisted around a ponytail. [2] Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs.[3]
History
The scrunchie was invented during the 1960s,
The Scunci name became modified to scrunchie, reflecting how the fabric of the accessory is bunched up.[7]
Scrunchies were particularly popular in the 1980s and 1990s, including larger, more elaborate versions. Scrunchies regained popularity in the mid 2010s.[9]
Popularity
Revson's scrunchies were extremely popular in the 1980s and 1990s. Scrunchies initially became popular in the '80s because they were a less damaging alternative for pulling
The early 2000s marked a fall in the popularity of scrunchies. Carrie Bradshaw in an episode of Sex and the City mocked the fashion, saying “No woman … would be caught dead at a hip downtown restaurant wearing a scrunchie."[13][3][9][14] This comment represented the decline in popularity of the scrunchie during this time period, sparking a decade's worth of negative views and distaste.[13] The scrunchie became a faux pas in the sense that wearing it around was embarrassing.[5]
2010s revival
Even after its loss of popularity, the scrunchie made a comeback in the late 2010s.[15] It was seen all over runways making its way back into fashion.[15] In 2017, scrunchies appeared at the New York Fashion Week as part of Mansur Gavriel's fall 2017 collection.[2] It was an event that fashion publications like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar would mention in their own articles; scrunchies were coming back but as low, loose ponytails rather than on top of the head.[2] A Vogue editor even included the scrunchie in a "can't-live-without hair products" list coining it as an essential accessory for makeup-removal time at the end of the workday.[16] The scrunchie has expanded on its popularity, with even Balenciaga getting involved, selling an "XXL" silk scrunchie for $275.[16]
Scrunchies are no stranger to the public sphere, making their way into the hair and on the wrists of celebrities.
Scrunchies are often exchanged between tweens and young teens as a sign of an emerging romance. Generally, a girl will give a boy a scrunchie as a sign of affection or to say that he is "cute" or that he is her "crush", and the boy will wear the scrunchie usually on his wrist.[18][19]
Scrunchies are also an integral part of the
Types and variations
There have been over five hundred different designs of scrunchies since its invention.[5] There are many different brands and stores that sell them.[5] In the US, almost every major store sold some sort of scrunchie in 2019.[5]
Scrunchies made of towelling can be used to help speed up the drying process for wet hair and protect the hair, which is more fragile when wet.[20] [21]
References
- ^ "Scrunchie". Merriam-Webster online. March 13, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e Mull, Amanda (September 5, 2019). "Scrunchies Are Little Rainbow Reminders That Millennials Are Old". The Atlantic. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ a b Marissa Gold (January 28, 2010). "Hair Scrunchies, Explained – Scrunchie 101". StyleList. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011.
- ^ US Patent #USS1D0292030, United States Patent and Trademark Office
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Granero, Kristin (August 28, 2019). "Everything You Need to Know About the History of the Scrunchie". PureWow. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ a b c McNamee, Kai (September 17, 2022). "The inventor of the scrunchie dies, leaving behind a fabulous fashion legacy". NPR.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-471-02334-0.
- ^ "Lawyer, Scunci Queen Tangle Over Legal Fees". Observer. April 19, 1999. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ a b Heather Schwedel, "Fight to the Decades: Are We Experiencing an ’80s or ’90s Comeback?", Flavorwire, August 25, 2009.
- ^ a b c Radin, Sara (September 18, 2019). "How Scrunchies Became the Biggest Fashion Trend — Again". Teen Vogue. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- AnOther, May 29, 2014.
- ^ a b Hart, Maria Teresa (November 1, 2019). "How the scrunchie rose and fell and rose again in popularity". Vox. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
- ^ Sex and the City Episode 78: "Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little", HBO, retrieved March 23, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Selyukh, Alina (December 16, 2019). "Scrunchies Are Cool Again. Hair's How They Staged A Comeback". NPR. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
- ^ a b Maloy, Ashley Fetters (September 16, 2022). "An ode to the scrunchie, the '80s fashion invention we never forgot". The Washington Post.
- ^ Uyehara, Mari (January 30, 2019). "The Dark Side of the Cult of Ruth Bader Ginsburg | The Nation".
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(help) - ^ Puhak, Janine (October 5, 2019). "Mom's viral Facebook post explains why hair scrunchies are 'secret' sign of middle school romance". Fox News. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ America, Good Morning. "Scrunchies are the new middle school crush gift". Good Morning America. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
- ^ Pariso, Dominique (March 29, 2023). "The 12 Very Best Hair Ties". The Strategist. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
- ^ "Are Towel Scrunchies Worth Adding to Your Beauty Routine?". Byrdie. Retrieved May 1, 2023.