This 1940s Actress' Hairstyle Was So Powerful, The US Government Intervened

Veronica Lake was a striking American actress and pin-up model who became a major star in the 1940s. Born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman, she was best known for her cool, mysterious screen persona and magnetic beauty. She found immense success in film noir, particularly in a series of films co-starring with Alan Ladd, such as This Gun for Hire and The Blue Dahlia. 

But what actually made her a sensation was her hair. In the 1940s, Veronica Lake's soft, natural yet sultry waves became a trendsetter, a style that's still be

Veronica Lake was a striking American actress and pin-up model who became a major star in the 1940s. Born Constance Frances Marie Ockelman, she was best known for her cool, mysterious screen persona and magnetic beauty. She found immense success in film noir, particularly in a series of films co-starring with Alan Ladd, such as This Gun for Hire and The Blue Dahlia. 

But what actually made her a sensation was her hair. In the 1940s, Veronica Lake's soft, natural yet sultry waves became a trendsetter, a style that's still being replicated today. Almost overnight, Veronica's cascading yet soft waves became a cultural phenomenon.

It all started with her breakout film, I Wanted Wings (1941), where her hair accidentally fell over her eye. During filming, Lake's long blonde hair accidentally fell over her right eye during a take, creating a "peek-a-boo" effect.

When Veronica Lake's Hair Became A Global Sensation

"I was playing a sympathetic drunk, I had my arm on a table... it slipped ... and my hair – it was always baby fine and had this natural break – fell over my face... It became my trademark and purely by accident", she had previously recalled. She instantly became an icon and was given the nickname "Peekaboo." 

Her signature style became a blueprint for many women, etching itself into pop culture history and inspiring many other silver-screen actresses. Her hairstyle directly inspired the now-iconic "Old Hollywood Waves," a style that everyone wants to match for its unparalleled allure.

However, her hairstyle became so iconic that the U.S. government had to intervene. During World War II, with many men away fighting, women stepped up to work in factories and care for their families.

Veronica's loose waves, a widely adopted trend, were recognised as a potential safety hazard in industrial settings. Recognising the risk, the government approached Veronica to modify her hairstyle in an effort to save lives.

In an act of patriotism and solidarity, Lake changed her trademark curls into practical updos. In her 1944 film The Hour Before the Dawn, she encouraged women working in war industry factories to adopt more practical, safer hairstyles with her updo.

She eventually also cut her long hair short, which seemed to decrease accidents. However, it's believed that her sacrifice also impacted her career, marking a significant decline in her journey as a star.

Despite her meteoric rise to fame, her career began to decline in the late 1940s due to personal struggles, including a difficult reputation, alcoholism, and financial troubles. She eventually left Hollywood, living a much more reclusive life before her death in 1973.