Rondy and Blanche Ledford after getting her first permanent wave.
The rage in the
mountain town of Hayesville, North Carolina during the 1940s was
bobbed hair and curls. Those with straight hair got permanent waves, but
many women simply set their hair at home using pin curls or twisted up in rags.Movie stars such as Betty Grable and Ava Gardner influenced the fashion of women. My aunts got hairstyles like these glamorous actresses.
My mother, Blanche, dreamed of getting her hair bobbed, too. She enjoyed the cinema and these stars provided an escape from the gloom of World War II.
War influenced how women wore their hair. Working in the fields, factories, or armed services, required hairstyles that would not get caught in machinery or in the way.
Many women who worked in factories wore trousers. Granny Trese didn't approve of her daughters wearing pants. She was a religious person and thought females should not dress like men.
Much to Granny's chagrin, her daughters wore trousers at home. Pants were more comfortable than dresses to do housework.
Although Blanche never wore trousers, she still desired to bob her hair and get a permanent wave. Of course Granny Trease frowned on that.
But Blanche's fiancée, Rondy Ledford, helped her fulfill a dream. He was serving with the Civilian Conservation Corps in Aquone, North Carolina. One weekend Rondy came home and took Blanche to a movie. She told him she wanted to bob her hair and get a permanent wave, but didn't have the money. He gave her the cash to go to the beauty shop.
On Monday morning, Blanche sneaked into Mary Jo Burch's Beauty Shop. She told her she wanted to bob her hair and get a perm. When Blanche saw the wicked- looking permanent machine, it scared her to death. She was afraid it would electrocute her.
But Mary Jo assured Blanche it was safe. The machine had clips that hung from above and heated to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. Dampened hair steamed and curled as it was heated on rods.
The machine got so hot that Mary Jo had to fan Blanche's head constantly. The beautician and customer ran the risk of serious burns.
Blanche's heart raced and she broke into a sweat. She promised herself if the beauty shop did not catch on fire, she would never get another permanent.
Hours later Blanche dragged out of Mary Jo's Beauty Shop with stiff and brittle hair. Her fiancée loved her new hairstyle, but Granny Trese just rolled her eyes.
by: Brenda Kay Ledford
The wicked-looking
permanent wave machine!
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