X-Factor stars John and Edward Grimes are as well known for their haircut as they are for their music, spawning a booming trade in 'Jedward' haircuts and securing the twins' place in the haircut hall of fame, writes BRIAN O'CONNELL
EVERY SO often, a popular culture phenomenon comes along that delights hairdressers and barbers while at the same time strikes despair into the hearts of parents. Cue, “the Jedward”. As the X-Factor contestants embark on their first Irish tour, their hair-raising antics are beginning to have an impact on the fashion styles of Irish youngsters.
Like “the Rachel” or “the Morrissey” before it, the Jedward has entered hairdressing parlance. Several months after the Irish twins first graced television screens, their spiked up hairstyle still retains popularity in salons up and down the country. Some hairdressers are reporting children as young as six years asking for the look.
The Jedward is a variation on a theme, first sported by Elvis and James Dean, albeit now infused with a more dramatic edge, with shorter sides, higher spikes, and a whole lot of hairspray going on. John, or was it Edward, recently tried to put distance between themselves and the commercial benefits their look has created for the Irish hairdressing industry. “We used to do our own hair and when it became a big trademark everyone started asking for the Jedward standard cut and then the Jedward cut and blow dry,” Edward said. “Some salons back home in Ireland started to advertise the fact we got our hair done there but we never used to go to salons, our aunt used to do our hair.”
Hairdressers are not that bothered where the look originated, once the customers leave their salon styled and satisfied. Sean Taaffe, who owns a number of salons in Kerry, says that while younger customers have no problem asking for the haircut by name, older clients are more discreet. “It started out with younger kids, about 10 years and under, coming in and asking for the haircut. They’d come straight out with it – ‘I want a Jedward’. The older lads, though, would be saying things like, ‘I’d like it a bit higher on top’. They wouldn’t use the direct words but you’d know what they were on about,” Taaffe says.
While previous haircuts were often sparked by celebrity trends, what was noticeable this time round was the manner in which children were more assertive from a younger age.
“The craze started pretty early on, as soon as the programme went out we had five- and six-year-olds in here asking for the haircut,” says Taaffe. “The little kids know their mind a lot more now in comparison to years ago, when they wouldn’t open their mouth. The whole context has changed. We have a consultation now for every client, regardless of age. Years ago it was a chat with the mother for two minutes and then lash on. Now, we encourage clients to speak their mind.”
Sixteen-year-old Jordan Carroll was one of the first kids in his school to sport a Jedward. The look initially caused a certain amount of derision among his peers. No one laughs any more though. The joy of the Jedward is that during normal school hours, Carroll can wear his hair flat. At weekends, it’s out with the hairspray and up with the quiff.
“I got the haircut early on in the show. I brought a picture of the twins into my barbers and asked them to make my hair like them,” Carroll explains. “I got attention, but some of it wasn’t the best kind of attention, but people grew to like it.” Which is just as well, as the Jedward requires a fair amount of maintenance and effort to get right. “Today I got my hair cut a little bit and then blow dried backwards. Sometimes I use a hair straightener. There’s a little one you can get for men. It all takes about 15 to 20 minutes to get the look and then you use gels and stuff to keep it up.” Isn’t it difficult though for a 16-year-old to finance the various gels and hair products needed to keep the Jedward airborne? “To be honest, I use my Mam’s hairspray,” admits Carroll.
His hairdresser, Conor McAllister of Grafton Barbers, has seen it all before. These things work in cycles, he says, with each new hairstyle a slight variation on something that has been in vogue previously.
‘MORRISSEY, JAMES DEAN AND Vanilla Ice, all had this type of cut years ago,” McAllister says, “Now, though, kids are looking for a bit of colour, or the spikes higher. We’re doing about 15-20 Jedward styles a week.”
All in all, the Jedward will set the customer back between €40 and €50, which includes blonde highlights, short sides and long fringe. For despairing parents out there though, having to fork out for their kid’s exaggerated quiffs, McAllister offers some hope.
“What’s coming next, in my eyes, is a nice clean look at the back and sides. There will still be some length at the front, but it will be brought over to the side,” he says. “It’s more like a schoolboy look than a rock star. The neat look is coming back. Mothers will love it.”
Celebrity haircuts that made the cut
THE RACHEL
The source of this 1990s style came courtesy of actress Jennifer Aniston in an early season of sitcom Friends, when her character Rachel Green had her straightened hair cut into a distinctive layered bob. The haircut was voted most influential of all time by US appliance giant Morphy Richards in a recent poll by the company.
THE FARRAH
This was one of the most iconic cuts of the 1970s, sported by actress Farrah Fawcett in the series Charlie’s Angels. It’s been referred to as a “feathered layer”, a type of pumped up and high volume equivalent of the “Rachel”. The hairstyle has made something of a comeback in recent years, albeit a toned-down version.
THE RONALDO
While the mullet has been around for decades, from country and western stars to Irish rugby players, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo gave the hairstyle a 21st century makeover. Often combined with lots of hair gel, Ronaldo’s mullet took some of its inspiration from the Mohican haircut, spawning a new term, the faux-hawk mullet.
THE POB
Victoria Beckham is the owner of one of the newest hairdressing trends set by celebrities, with a style called the Posh Bob, or Pob for short.
The cut is a shortened bob, shorter in the back than the front and cut in a A shape. A host of other celebrities – including pop star Rihanna – have copied the hairstyle in recent months, adding slight variations to the shape.
THE AGASSI
Famous for his long blonde bouffant mullet during the 1990s, tennis star Andre Agassi recently admitted that he was, in fact, wearing a wig to hide his increasing baldness all along. His frank admission gave toupée wearers the world over solace. In later years, Agassi followed the likes of Michael Jordan and Bruce Willis and has sported a shaven head.
