What Are Pigtails?


There really isn't a huge debate on this subject, but there are some differences of opinion. This article looks at some of the differing opinions related to pigtails hairstyle definition, attempts to find some middle ground (perhaps unsuccessfully), and closes with this author's own definition and description of the ideal pigtails.

A ponytail is when the hair is tied together into a bunch and hanging from the back of the head. Most would agree on that. But if that ponytail is braided, is it still a ponytail? Some say it is, others say that this is called a braid. The same question applies to pigtails, the most common term for the gathering of the hair into twin ponytails (one on either side of the head). Can pigtails be braided and still be called pigtails? Do the terms "braided pigtails" and "unbraided pigtails" make sense? Some argue that "braided pigtails" are just "braids" and not pigtails at all!

The Random House College Dictionary defines "pigtail" as "a braid of hair hanging down the back of the head." Huh? It refers to ONE pigtail hangs down the back of the head, and calls it a braid? Hmm, there's no mention of TWO pigtails at all! Something doesn't seem right here. The dictionary entry for "ponytail" matches the definition I gave above. So what's up with all this? Is the dictionary wrong? Are there multiple dialectal or regional terms for twin ponytails, hence the difficulty for a dictionary to properly address the word's definition? Has the definition been too fluid over time for the dictionary to pin it down? And why doesn't the definition include the phrase "the cutest hairstyle ever?"

The word pigtail is also a wire cabling term that applies to a particular method for terminating an electrical cable's braided shield. (There's that word "braid" again!) Another technical, and even more contemporary, use of the word pigtail is for some sort of wireless accessories for radios or cell phones, or something like that - I haven't completely figured this one out yet.

A few years ago, a survey was done in a college classroom regarding the term pigtails. The students pretty much agreed that pigtails are two ponytails, one on each side of the head, and that they cannot be braided. If they were braided, they were called braids. The class instructor, being of a different generation, had a different definition. He believed that pigtails specifically meant two braids and that two unbraided ponytails should actually be called doggie tails. My personal analysis of this "experiment" is simply this: The instructor must have been elderly, or nearly so, and possibly losing his memory, so who knows what his generation really called "twin ponytails." And doggie tails? There is no way I could ever adapt to using such a term. The word dog, or anything like it, can never be used to describe a woman with the playfulness, boldness, and/or superior self-esteem to wear her hair in pigtails. The students clearly had a much better handle on what pigtails are all about.

So, where does this leave us? There appears to be generational differences and possibly regional or dialectal differences contributing to the debate (if you'd call it that). So, I'll put it this way: Pigtails are two gatherings of hair hanging on the left and right sides of the head. They may be braided or unbraided. But I'll add my preferences here as well, because the way I see it, there's one right kind of pigtail. Pigtails are far more attractive when unbraided. They should be located on the sides of the head, maybe a little behind and above the ears. Pigtails that are too high on the head, too low, or too far around in back, just don't possess the true spirit of pigtails. And pigtails without this true spirit are simply unable to work their undeniable magic on the wearer and those around her.

Bob Decker is a pigtails hairstyle aficionado and one of the webmasters at http://www.PigtailDreams.com. The website tastefully honors "the cutest hairstyle ever."


MORE RESOURCES:

ABC News (blog)

Transgender beauty queen falls short
Seattle Post Intelligencer
CHARMAINE NORONHA, AP Transgendered beauty queen Jenna Talackova appears in the Miss Universe Canada pageant in Toronto, on Saturday May 19, 2012. Talackova sparked global attention when she was initially disqualified from the pageant.
Canadian transgender beauty contestant wins Miss CongenialityReuters Canada
Jenna Talackova: Transgender Beauty Queen Places in Top 12ABC News (blog)
Transgender Beauty Queen NOT a Total Loser at Miss Universe ContestTMZ.com
PerezHilton.com
all 759 news articles »


Kansas City Star

Trial to open in Wenatchee beauty-school slaying
The Seattle Times
WENATCHEE — Just before she walked to her car and drove off, Mackenzie Cowell told her beauty-school classmates she would be gone for 15 minutes. Four days later, police found her body miles away on the edge of the Columbia River.
Trial opens this week for Wash. man in 2010 death of 17-year-old beauty school ...Washington Post

all 249 news articles »


4 beauty mistakes you're making in the shower
KFMB News 8
Are you guilty of any of the following beauty foibles? Shower Slipup No. 1: Washing your face before your hair If you've got oily or acne-prone skin, hair conditioner can trigger breakouts near your hairline. So wash and condition first, then wash your ...

and more »


Globe and Mail

Fate brought beauty queen Nazanin Afshin-Jam and condemned Iranian teen together
Calgary Herald
One is initially struck by Afshin-Jam's beauty, the kind of beauty that makes men weak in the knees and causes passersby to stop and stare in awe. But this is also beauty laced with strong opinions and definitive actions aimed at making the world a ...
There's more to Nazanin Afshin-Jam than her beauty queen pastGlobe and Mail

all 27 news articles »


euronews

Chris Knight at Cannes: The beauty and pain of Michael Haneke's Love
National Post
CANNES – It was three shades of grey as Michael Haneke, the 70-year-old director of a new film called Love, entered the press room flanked by octogenarian co-stars Jean-Louis Trintignant and Emmanuelle Riva. The applause that greeted them was an ...
Cannes Review: In 'Amour,' the Agony and Beauty of Enduring LoveTheWrap

all 254 news articles »


Times LIVE

Beauty for your sole
Times LIVE
After trying countless diets, exercise programmes and a few beauty treatments that promised - but failed - to help me achieve my ideal image, I've even considered going under the knife. But alas, with limited funds and a very low pain threshold, ...



THE BEAUTY OF NATURE: Itty bitty critters on the Riverwalk
GoDanRiver.com
Credit: David E. Hoffman/Special to the Register & Bee This webworm moth adds beauty to an already colorful flower. Credit: David E. Hoffman/Special to the Register & Bee A white wooly worm crawls along a leaf near Angler's Park on the Riverwalk.



Age Before Beauty in the NBA Playoffs
New York Times (blog)
For some teams, the age-before-beauty maxim may be perfectly apt. The Boston Celtics, debatably the league's most experienced playoff team (the Lakers' tally is somewhat skewed by Bryant's 216 career playoff games), now hold a 2-1 series lead over the ...

and more »


Abandoned beauty: Making art from America's past
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
Matthew Christopher and brothers Adam and Josh Netsky have all created art from abandoned places. They say they would love to get in the old mental health buildings near Westfall and East Henrietta roads to photograph them.

and more »


Click Liverpool

Teen's body at the beauty spot: Man arrested in murder probe
Mirror.co.uk
Forensic experts were at the scene for several hours today, searching for evidence after the corpse was recovered from undergrowth near Birkenhead, Merseyside. Police said the victim was “in her late teens” and locals suggested that the body had been ...
Murder probe at Liverpool region beauty spotClick Liverpool
TEEN IS QUIZZEDDaily Star

all 166 news articles »

Google News

Acne - Advertising - Aerobics & Cardio - Affiliate Revenue - Alternative - Attraction - Auction - Audio Streaming - Aviation - Babies & Toddlers - Beauty - Blogging & RSS - Book Marketing - Book Reviews - Branding - Breast Cancer - Broadband Internet - Muscle Building - Careers & Employment - Coaching - Coffee - College & University - Cooking Tips - Copywriting - Crafts & Hobbies - Creativity - Credit - Cruising & Sailing - Currency Trading - Customer Service - Data Recovery - Dating - Debt Consolidation - Debt Relief - Depression - Diabetes - Divorce - Domain Names - E-books - Ecommerce - Elder Care - Email Marketing - Entrepreneurialism - Ethics - Exercise - Ezine Marketing - Ezine Publishing - Fashion & Style - Fishing - Fitness Equipment - Forums - Games - Goal Setting - Golf - Grief Loss - Hair Loss - Happiness - Hardware - Holidays - Home Improvement - Home Security - Humanities - Humor - Innovation - Inspirational - Insurance - Interior Decorating - Internet Marketing - Investing - Landscaping & Gardening - Language - Leadership - Leases & Leasing - Loans - Lung, Mesothelioma & Asbestos - Management - Marketing - Marriage & Wedding - Meditation - Mobile & Cell Phone - Mortgage & Refinancing - Motivation - Motorcycles - Music - Negotiation - Network Marketing - Networking - Nutrition - Organizing - Outdoors - Parenting - Personal Finance - Personal Tech - Pets - Philosophy - Photography - Poetry - Politics - Positive Attitude - PPC Advertising - Press Release - Pregnancy - Presentation - Psychology - Public Speaking - Real Estate - Recipes - Relationships - Sales - Sales Management - Sales & Teleselling - Sales Training - Satellite TV - Science - Security - SEO - Site Promotion - Small Business - Software - Spam Blocker - Spirituality - Stocks & Mutual Funds - Strategic Planning - Stress Management - Structured Settlements - Success - Supplements - Taxes - Team Building - Time Management - Top7-Or-10-Tips - Traffic Building - Vacation Rentals - Video Conferencing - Video Streaming - VOIP - Wealth Building - Web Design - Web Development - Web Hosting - Weight Loss - Wine & Spirits - Writing - Writing Articles - Yoga

Top
Main Home Email Category Home