Mall Bangs

Q: What are mall bangs?

A: "Mall Bangs" refers to the often-curly, high-volume styling of the fringe that was common in the 1980s. Usually seen among younger women who spent major amounts of their free time socializing at local shopping malls, the look became known by the name of the place where it was commonly seen.

As with many trends in styling, what initially started as a way to create a balanced fringe look for spiral-permed hair, soon found that the styling of the fringe grew on its own. What was created to be a large, rounded fringe with lift away from the forehead, evolved in some cases to ridiculously high up-sweeps of fringe, usually with a forward crest as the fringe curved again toward the floor.

It was not uncommon to see a fringe that was elevated to 6 or 8 inches (and even higher) in forward curves or fanning sprays of tighter curls.

The look had a minor resurgence in the late 90s as the razor cut styles like "The Rachel" became more common and people wanted to enhance the look using some volume in the feathered, razor-cut fringe. Fortunately, the desire for volume and elevation didn't get out of hand during the resurgence.

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See also:

Fringes

Tips for better bangs

How to cut the Rachel hairstyle

Vintage hairstyles