Why did George Perez give characters bad perms?

[phantom1592]

I will always be mystified by 80's hair given that it was, by far, the worst decade for hair, perhaps in human history, in terms of style. It's strange because when you look at women's hair in the 60's and 70's, the styles were very attractive and many are still in fashion.

Meh... those were 'mom' hairs back then... and in the 60's and 70's the people in the 40's and 50's thought they were stupid hippy hair...

The odd thing about 80s hairstyles is that while it was still the 80s, people considered their hairstyles the best that had ever conceived, and mocked the hairstyles of previous eras.

Exactly! One constant is the desire for a younger generation to go the absolute other direction of their parents. Regardless of how goofy THEIR kids will think they looked.

[KingsLeadHat]

Meh... those were 'mom' hairs back then... and in the 60's and 70's the people in the 40's and 50's thought they were stupid hippy hair...

My point wasn't about what older people thought back then, it's what people think now, looking back. It's almost universally agreed that the 80's were the worst decade for hair. When have you ever heard someone say, non-ironically, "Man, the 80's were a great time for hair!"? I'd wager never unless your livelihood depended on selling as much hairspray as possible.

[phantom1592]

My point wasn't about what older people thought back then, it's what people think now, looking back. It's almost universally agreed that the 80's were the worst decade for hair. When have you ever heard someone say, non-ironically, "Man, the 80's were a great time for hair!"? I'd wager never unless your livelihood depended on selling as much hairspray as possible.

Occassionally... but not very often. I think people admired some of the wild choices and wacky colors that people did back then... and I've seen more then my share of kids dying their hair blue and more than a few elementary school kids with mohawks... Which is really a statement about their parents.... They're supposed to STOP that kind of thing.

Mine did >.< Regardless of the fact I was a scrawny white kid... Mr. T was the COOLEST!!!

While I think that it's a fair constant situation that Kids what to do something that separates them from their parents style... I also think there is a fair constant to look back at your choices when you get older and say 'What was I THINKING?!!?' The people who like the 80's hair... did NOT live it. The people looking at their yearbook perms and spikes just shake their head and laugh at themselves... the same way the 60s- 70's kids would open up their yearbooks in the 80's+ and laugh at the sideburns and wide lapels...

[KingsLeadHat]

I was born in 1977, so I lived through the 80's. At the time I didn't really think much of all the hair, but looking back now, at say the early to mid-60's, I think the hairstyles looked great and can and do work by today's standards: guys had short hair, women had short or long straight hair, etc.

[phantom1592]

I was born in 1977, so I lived through the 80's. At the time I didn't really think much of all the hair, but looking back now, at say the early to mid-60's, I think the hairstyles looked great and can and do work by today's standards: guys had short hair, women had short or long straight hair, etc.

Yay '77!! I'm there with ya!

The problem with hair is really trying to generalize a decade. There were still some mainstream 'normal' hair. Frankly men's hair doesn't change ALL that much through the decades. But there are always the outliers that you can mark the decades by. Beatlemania and the moptop, Elvis and the sideburns and ducktails. Sonny Bono had... something going on... My dad had sideburns when he was in high school that would have made Wolverine proud. Just a razor or two on the chin was all that separated it from a beard . His brother? He always had hair down to his shoulders.

Mid 60's got into the hippy scene with the long hair and longer mustaches...

Women? Perms and curls were REALLY popular in the 80's... but there were still plenty that didn't go that route (or their hair wouldn't HOLD a perm... My sister was like that.) I think the high bun and the Mary Tyler moore haircut was popular at the time. My mom still laments the Gidget hairstyle she had as a kid...

And the Mohawk/flight of Seagulls/punk things was always pretty fringe. Regardless of what history wants us to remember :P

I

[banky]

Could not find any photos of young George Perez, but Terry Long (Donna Troy's husband) bore some resemblance to the PBS painter Bob Ross.



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

Terry Long was actually modeled after Marv Wolfman, not George. I don't have any pics of Mr. Wolfman but you all would be surprised how popular that Bob Ross perm do was in the late 1970s-early 80s. Just trim it down a little and you have a slew of villains from 1980s TV shows and John Holmes era porn stars.

I also agree that the late 1960s-early 70s were the best era in terms of style in clothing and hairdos. I wasn't alive during that era but from watching numerous films and shows like the Mod Squad, Partridge Family etc make me realize how much better women's fashion (miniskirts and dresses) were at that time. People generalize it for the hippie era but a quick browse of /r/OldschoolCool more accurately reflects the styles.

[Buried Alien]

Terry Long was actually modeled after Marv Wolfman, not George. I don't have any pics of Mr. Wolfman but you all would be surprised how popular that Bob Ross perm do was in the late 1970s-early 80s. Just trim it down a little and you have a slew of villains from 1980s TV shows and John Holmes era porn stars.

I also agree that the late 1960s-early 70s were the best era in terms of style in clothing and hairdos. I wasn't alive during that era but from watching numerous films and shows like the Mod Squad, Partridge Family etc make me realize how much better women's fashion (miniskirts and dresses) were at that time. People generalize it for the hippie era but a quick browse of /r/OldschoolCool more accurately reflects the styles.

Like Karen Carpenter's late 1960s style.



Buried Alien (The Fastest Post Alive!)

[banky]

or Peggy Lipton
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[ed2962]

My point wasn't about what older people thought back then, it's what people think now, looking back. It's almost universally agreed that the 80's were the worst decade for hair. When have you ever heard someone say, non-ironically, "Man, the 80's were a great time for hair!"? I'd wager never unless your livelihood depended on selling as much hairspray as possible.

Give it time. I won't be shocked at all if in a few years big hair makes a come back. Or lady's shoulder pads.

[Uncanny Mutie]

This is the thing that turns me off about George Perez's art: He never stopped drawing ugly, 80's hair. Makes his otherwise awesome art look SUPER dated and corny. And looking back at his 80's art, he drew the most extreme, ugly hairstyles on most of his characters even back then when they were in style.

[LordTrump]

Lest we forget that......thing on top of Pariah's head?

[Phoenixx9]

Give it time. I won't be shocked at all if in a few years big hair makes a come back. Or lady's shoulder pads.

Yeah. Heck, Dynasty is even returning to TV!

[LordTrump]

Yeah. Heck, Dynasty is even returning to TV!

You don't have to watch Dynasty, on the CW,
You just leave it all up to me, my love's gonna be yours too!

The rhyme still works!

[Kyer]

Was there ever a decade with decent hair?

Although, I'll take those permed hairdos over today's "I can't make up my mind whether I want long hair/average cut or a shaved head" mishmash which I think was popular back in the 1930's. Ugh. That hairstyle turns me right off a Superman book and I love Superman. If Superman ever starts sporting a mohawk I am outta here.

Or lady's shoulder pads.

People with short necks should never wear shoulder pads or turtlenecks unless they want to look awful.

[Güicho]

^Marv Wolfman


^This is how George Perez depicted himself and Marv Wolfman at the time of their Titans run.
Neither in real life or as drawn by Perez look anything like the Terry Long character.
So I don't know where people are inventing that he drew himself or Wolfman to look like Terry Long?


^Also George as himself in Deadly Hands of Kung Fu