The Museum of Liverpool is inviting everyone in the city to share their hairstyle stories as part of an exhibition which celebrates the cultural importance of hair to the city.
Curly Blows, Cuts and Curlers opened at the museum on October 3 and will run until March 8 2026.
It highlights the journey of different styles from mop tops in the 1960s to the bouncy blow dries which dominate current Liverpool nightlife, as well as the culture and conversation in salons across the city.
The exhibition champions local photographers Alex Hurst and Abdullah Badwi alongside the Caravan Gallery, Paul Trevor and even a sculpture of a penguin in rollers by Brian D Hanlon.
Featured photographer Alex Hurst grew up in Crosby and began social documentary photography at 15.
At 20 she became fascinated by ‘old ladies hair salons’ and how the post war generation stuck to the hair trends of their youth.
She said: “You’d go in and it would feel like you were in the 1940s. It was the community element as well – they’d all talk to one another in their weekly appointments. Now everyone sits on their phones and no one speaks so it’s lost that social element.”
When asked what she first thinks of when someone says “Liverpool hair”, Alex said: “Girls with rollers walking down the street is the dominating image in my head.”
This is a theme which is carried throughout the exhibition.
After viewing the exhibition, she said: “I loved the range of images they featured and I love the diversity within the selection.
“Each image tells its own story and is a reminder of our hair and how we style it is such an important part of our identity.”
The museum is holding three Skylight Thursdays sessions 12-2pm on November 6 and 12 and March 5 where everyone is invited to share their stories relating to hairstyles over time.
