Barbers and Hair
Stylists Attract the
Attention of the
New Deal

By the end of 1944 Congressional heads all turned when it was brought to their attention that the fees charged by hairstylists and barbers had soared 25% above the 1941 levels. New Dealers thought this was a golden opportunity for some government intervention:

“Since hair up-keep rates as a necessary cost of living, Chester Bowles (1901 – 1986), OPA [Office of Price Administration] asked Congress for authority to fix beauty and barber prices.”

As the image on the right illustrates, higher stylist fees ushered-in a fashion for longer hair during the closing years of the war.