The Ducktail was a haircut style popular during the 1950s. It was also called the Duck's Butt, Duck's Ass, or simply D.A. (DA). The actual name was Duck's Ass, but propriety called for the name Ducktail to be used in mixed company. idol This is a copyrighted promotional photo with a known source. ... Street haircut in Harbin, China. ... // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...

Other than the poodle skirt, no other symbol of the 1950s has captured the imagination and endured so well. // Events and trends The 1950s in Western society was marked with a sharp rise in the economy for the first time in almost 30 years and return to the 1920s-type consumer society built on credit and boom-times, as well as the height of the baby-boom from returning...

The combing technique

The style required that the hair be combed back around the sides of the head. The end of a rattail comb was used to make a central part at the back of the head, resembling to many, the rear end of a duck. In addition, the hair on the top front of the head was deliberately disarrayed so that untidy strands hung down over the forehead. A human female with brown hair. ... A modern plastic comb with a handle A comb is a device made of solid material, generally flat, always toothed, used for staightening and cleaning hair or other fibers. ... Subfamilies Dendrocygninae Oxyurinae Anatinae Merginae Drake Mallard Duck is the common name for a number of species in the Anatidae bird family. ...

The ducktail hair style contributed to the term "greasers": to accomplish this look, lots of hair grease was required to hold the hair in place. This was still the era of hair creams, so it only required an increase in the amount to make hair remain in the desired style. This was before the era of hair sprays, and, of course, "real men" did not use sprays anyway.

To insure that the hair was just so, the wearer often touched up the D.A. many times during the day by running his greased comb through it.

Additional aspects of the Ducktail style

The rear collar of the shirt (or jacket) was turned upward. Cigarettes (a mandatory accessory) were carried in a rolled up shirt sleeve, thus putting them on obvious display and baring the arm. Low boots, tight jeans, and leather jackets completed the wardrobe.

Significance of the style

The D.A. quickly identified a man as a rebel, a non-conformist. Although once everyone in a group did an identical thing and such standardization was itself conformity, it remained "cool" compared to the mainstream. Olivia Amador ... In English history, a non-conformist is any member of a Protestant congregation not affiliated with the Church of England. ...

Although the ducktail was adopted lovingly by Hollywood to represent the wild youth of the Fifties, the fact is that only a small minority of males actually sported a D.A., even amongst the British Rockers and Teddy Boys of the same era. ... 1960s British Rockers outside of roadside transport cafe [(The Graham Hullet Collection)] Click to enlarge Rocker was a term originally applied in a derogatory manner to British motorcycle riding youths in the 1960s, but was later taken as a badge of pride. ... The Teddy Boy youth culture first emerged in Britain during the early 1950s, and was strongly associated with American rock and roll music of the period. ...