How To Look Like A Greek God
We talk to the world's premier hairstyle archaeologist for episode 5.
Episode 5 is out now:
Every time I step into an art museum, I notice one thing: in almost all the Greek and Roman art — from ancient works to Renaissance pieces inspired by them — everyone has curly hair.
The ancient Greeks and Romans, like readers and listeners of We Are Spiraling, knew that curly hair is worth obsessing over.
In today’s episode, we spoke with Janet Stephens, a former hairdresser turned hairstyle archaeologist. Janet studies ancient Greek and Roman sculptures and artworks. She extensively researches and recreates their hairstyles, and posts tutorials on her Youtube channel.
It’s safe to say she’s the world’s premier expert on the ins and outs of ancient Greek and Roman hairdos. We talked about everything from why curly hair was so prized in those societies to how a hairstylist obsessed with ancient curls handled clients who wanted to straighten their strands.
You’ll hear us jump between ancient Greece, Rome, and different time periods, because curly hair continued to show up in artworks over the eras. (I know the Renaissance art is not ancient!)
We reference some artworks and specific hairstyles in the conversation. Here they are.
For the best view of Empress Plotina’s braids, check out Janet’s tutorial.
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