hare
An article on women’s hairstyles wouldn’t normally be this author’s bag. Too girly by far. But when we stumbled upon some girly hairstyles cut, dried and shaped into a veritable bestiary of different animals – from dog, pig and bear to elephant, elk and hare – well let’s just say this tough guy stance softened somewhat. I mean, hair shaped like animals? What kind of stylist could have the chops to pull that off? A person gifted with skill and technique; someone sadly no more.
goat
Still, before we herald the posthumous arrival of Vidal Baboon, Pony and Sty, and a whole host of other appalling puns, we might want to look a little more closely at these most creative examples of coiffure .
Reindeer
See, each creature featured – so full of body and shine – is not actually a hairdo but a wig – the work of hair artist, film director and all round artistic maestro, Nagi Nod, who passed away in 2008.
elephant
The Japanese pop artist is well known for her work in music videos as well as her life-sized, half-panda-half-something-else Hanpanda figures, but it’s with her Hair Hats that Nod really piqued our interest.
poodle
What to make of these hairpieces? That they’re fashioned from human locks and tresses is of course no fluke. It’s what makes each sinuous form appear to grow so seamlessly from its model’s head.
rhino
But the fact that woven human hair makes up these mammal forms also helps to highlight our animal nature. Our own body hair and the fur of our various animal cousins is not so different.
pig
Human hair differs from the lion’s mane just as the curls of the king of the beasts differ from the goat’s shaggy fuzz. It’s all different, human and animal hair; all different but essentially the same.
lion
Are we at risk of splitting hairs here? Maybe. Meanwhile, a quick look at the beautiful models wearing these wigs reminds us we’re human again – while bringing out our inner animal. Grrrr.
bear
Before we conclude our strange safari, we wonder: if animals could talk and offer their consent, could we imagine a kind of reverse scenario of animals modelling human haircuts?
lassie dog
The coats of most mammals would surely be too coarse for such designs; besides, would anyone want to see a human head sculpted in the whiskers of a walrus or the beard of a boar?
deer
Nagi Nod died on 7 September 2008, aged just 35, after surgical complications following injuries sustained in a car accident the previous year. The director of music videos for the Scissor Sisters and many more is sadly missed, but remembered in human hearts through her musical and animal art.