1940s hairstyles in Lilac Girls

I spent a lot of time researching 1940s hairstyles when writing my novel Lilac Girls, since many of the prisoners there were often preoccupied with their hair.

Odd, you might think, for a concentration camp, but many of the prisoners were still very concerned with their appearances. Sundays, their “rest” days, their one day without being marched off to work, they spent in their blocks, often trying out new hairstyles on each other (sadly, much of that time also dealing with the lice that was rampant in all the camps.)

I was surprised to learn that not all heads were shaved upon arrival and many were allowed to keep their hair longish, if they kept it back in the regulation kerchief. Often if a woman was called to be executed, her fellow prisoners would fix her hair before she left so she could hold her head high and die with dignity. The Polish prisoners were especially concerned about this, wanting to remain brave and shout “Long live Poland!” before they died, their last sign of rebellion.

It is amazing what the inmates at Ravensbruck did with a few “organized” hair pins and their own spit–they recreated some of the last hairstyles they knew to be fashionable. The French inmates were especially stylish, even in Ravensbruck. More on that later!