Hair metal look
With bands like Poison and Cinderella prancing around onstage in imitation of earlier glamsters like the New York Dolls or glam rock was back.
Were they boys or girls? Blending the sexes was nothing new, and
these rockers were merely a continuation of the gender-bending that
flourished among rock stars in the 70's. Instead of rock and roll, it
was now the 80's heavy metal scene that adopted the cross-dressing
look. The L.A. club scene was ground zero, as bands like Mötley Crüe
and Ratt donned makeup to distinguish themselves from the overwhelming
amount of ‘straight’ metalheads.
As the scene exploded, this femme style became a surefire way to
get the girls (as well as their lipstick and eyeliner). The makeup
turned less extreme, but these “hair bands,” as they were
affectionately known, still knew the value of looking pretty. These men
strutted around the stage in skintight leathers, stretch denim, and in
some cases (we’re looking at you, David Lee Roth),
they sported a pair of chaps with nothing underneath. Decadence
returned to the music scene. Hair was grown long, and bangs were teased
into gravity-defying positions. Even old-school-style rockers like Sweet
knock-offs, flirted at least briefly with the pretty boy look (check
out Axl’s teased-up hair in the “Welcome to the Jungle” video if you
don’t believe us).
The tamer boys experimented with black eyeliner, while the more
outrageous stole their sister’s compacts. Boys discovered their
sexuality, and girls couldn’t resist having a boyfriend that was more
like a girlfriend. They shared makeup, hairspray, and even clothes.
These metal bands exposed a new generation to the glitter and sparkle
that had supposedly met its demise the decade before. Of course, those
same kids turned to dirty grunge hit in late '91, but that hair metal phase sure was pretty while it lasted.
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