The Bowl Cut: A Notorious Hairstyle's Long History

Moses Horwitz hated school. In 1903, the 6-year-old from Brooklyn faced relentless teasing from cruel classmates, all because of his hair. His mother had curled it into finger waves each morning, a look considered far too feminine for boys at the time. The mockery came from all sides—boys, girls, everyone found it odd. And the insults came at every opportunity.

This torment continued for years until, at age 11, Moses finally decided he had enough.

One day, while visiting a friend's house, Moses impulsively grabbed some scissors and, eyes closed, began cutting his hair into a round shape. When he opened them, his friends burst into laughter—he had created a bowl cut. It wasn’t exactly a stylish look, but at least it meant fewer bloody noses for Moses.

The bowl cut would eventually serve Moses well, as he later adopted the name Moe Howard and became a key member of The Three Stooges comedy team—all while keeping that signature hairstyle.

The origins of the bowl cut go far beyond Moe Howard's era. This style was widespread among European men during the 12th to 15th centuries, and even Russian serfs in the 18th century wore it. The allure was simple: a low-maintenance look that required no expertise, no brushing, and hardly any cost. It represented a compromise between the longer, fluctuating styles of the Middle Ages and the shorter cuts preferred by soldiers and clergy. Wealthier men would often complete the look with elaborate hats.

Though the style endured, it’s unclear when it started being called the 'bowl cut' or 'soup bowl cut,' or if anyone truly used a bowl as a template. However, during the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s, the haircut became a practical choice for families trying to save money. Cutting a child's hair into a circle became a simple and affordable task that nearly anyone could do at home.

The bowl cut thrived wherever haircuts were too costly. In 1951, when Vancouver barbers raised their prices to 85 cents, residents rebelled by buying their own trimmers and electric clippers, shaping their own bowl cuts at home.

The bowl cut saw a revival in the 1960s, driven more by fashion than by necessity. When the original members of The Beatles—John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best, and Stu Sutcliffe—toured Hamburg, Germany, in 1960, they befriended a group of art students, including Astrid Kirchherr and Jürgen Vollmer. Kirchherr and Sutcliffe fell in love, and when she gave him a haircut, she adopted the bowl style popular among art students. Harrison requested the same. Later, Lennon and McCartney, visiting Vollmer in Paris, also got similar cuts.

By the time The Beatles arrived in the United States in 1964, the band—now with Ringo Starr instead of Sutcliffe and Best—was sporting what TIME magazine called the 'mushroom' haircut. Their devoted fans quickly copied the look.

While The Beatles' hairstyles would eventually evolve into the long hair trends of the late 1960s and 1970s, the bowl cut managed to earn some degree of respectability. It became a familiar look for child stars in the 1970s, such as Adam Rich from Eight is Enough. The bowl cut also made a notable return when Jake Lloyd wore it as young Anakin Skywalker in 1999’s Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace. However, for adults, sporting the style often signaled foolishness or eccentricity. Jim Carrey wore a bowl cut in the 1994 comedy Dumb and Dumber, while Javier Bardem’s Anton Chigurh in 2007’s No Country for Old Men also sported the infamous cut.

In more recent years, the bowl cut has taken on darker associations. Following the 2015 mass shooting in Charleston, South Carolina, where Dylann Roof wore the cut, it became linked to far-right and white supremacist ideologies. The Anti-Defamation League added the bowl cut to its list of hate symbols in 2019. It’s a tragic fall from grace for a haircut that once had some semblance of respect, having been worn by figures like Moe Howard.