To Bieber or not to Bieber. That is the question.
We're talking about 16-year-old pop sensation Justin Bieber, of course. His swirling side-swept hair, which seems to have been styled with a salad spinner, has become an iconic coif.
His hair is also reminiscent of Beatles mop tops, defiant do's copied by a generation. Hairstyles, much like food, fashion, cars, and music, can epitomize an era (or error — Flock of Seagulls, anyone?).
"The celeb factor is huge!" says stylist Kevin Mancuso, Nexxus' creative director, who has worked with Natalie Portman, Naomi Watts, Amy Adams, John Mayer, and Bruce Springsteen.
Celebrities "are always at the forefront of trends," he adds.
Thus the fever for "the Bieber," which the singer says takes five minutes to style and is kept in place with an occasional jerk of his head for a windblown look. (A recent issue of teen magazine Bop proclaimed: "Justin's hair is famous for his constant flipping to the side." )
Mr. Mancuso says the Bieber look is hot because it's "less about styling and all about the haircut. It gives off a real big impact."
Here's a look at other unforgettable and influential trendsetting coifs.
THE BEATLES
During the 1960s the Fab Four's sound (yeah, yeah, yeah) had the world at its feet. But on their heads the quartet rocked a rebellious style that led American kids to grow their locks long enough to touch shirt collars, a mutinous style statement at both home and school. The Beatles' bowl cuts were as trendsetting as their music — and still live on through Zac Efron, Chace Crawford, Ashton Kutcher, Joe Jonas, and the Biebs, who tip their heads (yeah, yeah, yeah) to their hair heroes.
TWIGGY
The original lollipop girl — a reference to Twiggy's famous thin figure — also was celebrated for her androgynous pixie crop. The model's style (in ash tones with subtle roots) defined the mod '60s look. Designer Mary Quant and model Peggy Moffitt both wore the style with angular cuts. Actress Mia Farrow had Vidal Sassoon give her the look when she married Frank Sinatra in 1966, and she also wore it in her 1968 film Rosemary's Baby.
FARRAH FAWCETT
A feathered flyaway flip, Fawcett's look helped make her the breakout star of the '70s TV hit Charlie's Angels. As Jill Munroe, the actress from Corpus Christi, Texas, was an athletic, gun-toting, karate-slamming gumshoe who exuded both sweetness and sex appeal. On and off the screen she proved to be hardy and heroic. She dazzled us with her smile and mesmerized us with those tremendous tresses that have been updated for today's modern woman.
DOROTHY HAMILL
Hamill, who won Olympic figure skating gold in 1976 as a 19-year-old, had the edge with her wedge. Her classic short bob featured rear-angled layering for an aerodynamic design. The cut also performed fabulously when she launched into her signature "Hamill camel," a spin that sent her hair into a whirlwind of style on ice.
PRINCESS DIANA
From the day she wedded Prince Charles, Diana Spencer, the Princess of Wales, became a style setter and one of the most photographed women in the world. Whenever she changed her hairstyle, so did millions of other women. But it was her 1980s pageboy cut, layered, and feathered — and later shortened in the same style — that stuck with her fans.
BILLY RAY CYRUS
Before Miley, there was the mullet, a look Cyrus sported while singing his 1992 hit "Achy Breaky Heart." But Cyrus wasn't the first to sport the mullet, often described as "business in the front and party in the back." David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust character wore it in the '70s. The style became popular in the '80s with spikes, curls, and highlights. And in the '90s, John Stamos let his hair down with a sexy, tousled version on TV's Full House.
KID
In 1988, Christopher Reid, better known as Kid, one half of rappers Kid 'n Play (which included Christopher Martin), broke onto the scene with House Party movies and lyrics. But it was Reid's flat top that raised eyebrows and became known as the high-top fade. Rappers Heavy D, Big Daddy Kane, and Will "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" Smith adopted variations of the look. The sexually androgynous Grace Jones wore it well. The Spurs' David Robinson took grief for keeping his for a long time after it had become passe. Several NBA players, most recently the Bucks' Brandon Jennings, have since revived the look.
JENNIFER ANISTON
Aniston's hairstyle on Friends was a hot commodity. "The Rachel" — a long angled shag named after her character — was introduced during the show's second season in 1995. Like the show itself, the haircut also had lots of friends among women who demanded it at their local hair salons. Today, the Rachel continues to rate high, often appearing at the top of iconic hairstyle lists and on heads in updated versions.
JENNIFER LOPEZ
When it comes to hairstyles, La Lopez isn't a one-trick pony. But her sexy red-carpet coifs, a collection of looks from elegant up-dos to bobs to longer locks, are all worth imitating, especially by teens and young women who want prom or nightclubbing styles. Of course, not settling on one look also means a woman has options — from casual to chic, from princess to playful — a la Lopez.
RIHANNA
It's hard to imagine pop diva Rihanna once had long hair, sometimes styled with tight curls, other times with loose waves. These days the singer is faithful to her pixie style with sweeping extended bangs that seem to change color every other week. Rihanna rocks the longer bangs, which can be punked out or pumped up in pompadour fashion.
First Published August 22, 2010, 4:48 a.m.