Gabriel Wolfe
Women in 1920s France created a revolutionary “fashion statement” by adopting short, bobbed hairstyles. The style went against the traditional, long-hair standard, and created anger amongst men as they refused to be seen with their daughter or wife who has given themselves the new haircut. Despite the male backlash, many women continued using the hairstyle and the shift has to short hair has been seen as a form of “liberation” for women at the time.
Although Madame Beudet maintains her long hair throughout the film, during one scene Madame combs her hair while staring blankly into three mirrors. Madame’s dissatisfied face gives the impression that she is fed up with her dictated life. With every stroke she seems ready to join the fashion movement, to cut off her hair and liberate herself (for the first time) from her repressive husband. Madame Beudet, in this instance, represents the struggle for upper class women in France as they looked for a way to be more of an independent individual.
Roberts, Mary. “Samson and Delilah Revisited: The Politics of Women’s Fashion in 1920s France.” The American Historical Review. 3rd ed. Vol. 98. Oxford UP, 1993. 657-684. Print.