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Some argue that braided pigtails are just "braids and not
pigtails at all!
What Are Pigtails?
Bob Decker
There really isn't a huge debate on this subject, but there are
some differences of opinion. This article looks at some of the
differing opinions related to pigtails hairstyle definition,
attempts to find some middle ground (perhaps unsuccessfully), and
closes with this author's own definition and description of the
ideal pigtails.
A ponytail is when the hair is tied together into a bunch and
hanging from the back of the head. Most would agree on that. But
if that ponytail is braided, is it still a ponytail? Some say it
is, others say that this is called a braid. The same question
applies to pigtails, the most common term for the gathering of
the hair into twin ponytails (one on either side of the head).
Can pigtails be braided and still be called pigtails? Do the
terms "braided pigtails" and "unbraided pigtails" make sense?
Some argue that "braided pigtails" are just "braids" and not
pigtails at all!
The Random House College Dictionary defines "pigtail" as "a braid
of hair hanging down the back of the head." Huh? It refers to ONE
pigtail hangs down the back of the head, and calls it a braid?
Hmm, there's no mention of TWO pigtails at all! Something doesn't
seem right here. The dictionary entry for "ponytail" matches the
definition I gave above. So what's up with all this? Is the
dictionary wrong? Are there multiple dialectal or regional terms
for twin ponytails, hence the difficulty for a dictionary to
properly address the word's definition? Has the definition been
too fluid over time for the dictionary to pin it down? And why
doesn't the definition include the phrase "the cutest hairstyle
ever?"
The word pigtail is also a wire cabling term that applies to a
particular method for terminating an electrical cable's braided
shield. (There's that word "braid" again!) Another technical, and
even more contemporary, use of the word pigtail is for some sort
of wireless accessories for radios or cell phones, or something
like that - I haven't completely figured this one out yet.
A few years ago, a survey was done in a college classroom
regarding the term pigtails. The students pretty much agreed that
pigtails are two ponytails, one on each side of the head, and
that they cannot be braided. If they were braided, they were
called braids. The class instructor, being of a different
generation, had a different definition. He believed that pigtails
specifically meant two braids and that two unbraided ponytails
should actually be called doggie tails. My personal analysis of
this "experiment" is simply this: The instructor must have been
elderly, or nearly so, and possibly losing his memory, so who
knows what his generation really called "twin ponytails." And
doggie tails? There is no way I could ever adapt to using such a
term. The word dog, or anything like it, can never be used to
describe a woman with the playfulness, boldness, and/or superior
self-esteem to wear her hair in pigtails. The students clearly
had a much better handle on what pigtails are all about.
So, where does this leave us? There appears to be generational
differences and possibly regional or dialectal differences
contributing to the debate (if you'd call it that). So, I'll put
it this way: Pigtails are two gatherings of hair hanging on the
left and right sides of the head. They may be braided or
unbraided. But I'll add my preferences here as well, because the
way I see it, there's one right kind of pigtail. Pigtails are far
more attractive when unbraided. They should be located on the
sides of the head, maybe a little behind and above the ears.
Pigtails that are too high on the head, too low, or too far
around in back, just don't possess the true spirit of pigtails.
And pigtails without this true spirit are simply unable to work
their undeniable magic on the wearer and those around her.
Bob Decker is a pigtails hairstyle aficionado and one of the
webmasters at
http://www.PigtailDreams.com . The website
tastefully honors "the cutest hairstyle ever."
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