What comes to mind when you think of a scrunchie? Perhaps you think of the '80s or you think of the VSCO girl pop culture? No matter what comes to mind, you have probably heard of this hair accessory. Since scrunchies have been growing in popularity, I thought it would be interesting to know where it all began. How were scrunchies invented? How are they useful? How did they become so popular, so fast? And are they really making a comeback?
The revolutionary Invention
The invention of the scrunchie dates back to the 1960s, when it was supposedly first invented by Philips E. Meyers. Unfortunately, Philip was never able to secure a patent for his idea, and therefore received little to no credit.
Over two decades later, came Rommy Revson, a nightclub singer and pianist. She was searching for a hair tie that was not made with harsh metal or plastic that would damage her hair. Rommy was inspired by the comfortable elastic waist on her pajama pants. She tried to magpie that same concept by sewing bunched up fabric onto an elastic. Rommy patented her idea in 1987.
The Scrunchie's popularity grew almost overnight. The scrunchie was a revolutional invention for women, especially back then, when big hair was all the trend. Normal rubber bands tended to get caught in women's perms. When the scrunchie came along, it also brought a solution to this common problem. On top of that, they came in lots of fun, bright colors, which went along with the colorful, poppy fashion at the time. Scrunchies also began to appear on popular TV shows in the 1980s and 90s, such as Full House and Friends. A scrunchie in space? That's right! NASA astronaut, Pamela Melroy wore a blue scrunchie during her missions to the international space station (ISS) in 2000 and 2002.
Are scrunchies gone?
As the early 2000s began, scrunchies began to be less common. They were labeled as a very unsophisticated, unappealing and nostalgic accessory. Scrunchies were even mocked on tv shows. "No woman ... would be caught dead at a hip downtown restraunt wearing a scrunchie!" This once raging fashion trend was now looked down upon.
For a while it seemed like the scrunchie mania was stuck in the past.
Scrunchies stage a comeback!
But as 2018 and 2019 rolled around, scrunchies began to appear again. Scrunchies were popping up on wrists and in hair. Many experts said that this was a natural fashion cycle. Every few decades, different fashion accessories start to come back. It was certainly no different with this hair tie!
It wasn't just a natural fashion cycle making a loop... truly it was brought back by teens known as 'VSCO girls'. This term derived from the photo editing app 'VSCO', which was launched in 2011. On VSCO, you can edit photos and share them on instagram or the app itself. Many youngsters began to use this app to edit their photos and videos that they wanted to post.
The users began to post photos of themselves with hydroflasks, puka shell necklaces and... you guessed it scrunchies. These youngsters have created their own pop culture that has spread across social media platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok.
On top its high status in social media, many famous celebrities have been seen sporting scrunchies as well, such as Selena Gomez, Lizzo and even Jennifer Lopez.
It's no wonder that scrunchies are making a serious comeback!
The scrunchie may have gone through some ups and downs. Some still think it is something that belongs firmly in the past, whilst others cannot leave the house without one in their hair or on their wrist. Nevertheless, it is a great invention. It is fun, stylish and sophisticated, whilst also protecting hair from breakage and damage. It also doubles as a poofy bracelet!
Scrunchies are definitely making a comeback! So, Now is the time to hope on board with this cute hair tie.
Websites that I used for information:
Nice job vivi looks good
Interesting!
Great job Vivi! Very informative and really interesting! Uncle Dave