The Politics of the Presidential Haircut

Small details can play an outsized role in shaping how presidents are perceived by the public. A president’s appearance can contribute to perceptions of authority, relatability or modernity.

As author Theodore Pappas observes in Combing Through the White House: Hair and Its Shocking Impact on the Politics, Private Lives, and Legacies of the Presidents, “hair is seldom simply hair.” 

How have hairstyles shaped the presidential image? Here are seven coifs that made history.

Contrary to popular belief, the first U.S. president did not wear a wig. That iconic hairstyle was really George Washington’s own hair. And it wasn’t naturally white either—it was red.

Washington kept his hair long and tied it back in a ponytail, at the time called a queue. The style was considered tough, like the “18th-century equivalent of a marine buzz cut,” writes journalist Robert Krulwich.

But why not wear a wig, like so many others of his time? “He thought powdered wigs weren’t just uncomfortable, but they also reflected the pompous trappings of monarchy, which he had just led the country in war to get away from,” Pappas says.

Wigs were also worn by men trying to hide their balding and ailments like syphilis, which at the time were considered signs of shame and weakness. A full head of hair, on the other hand, conveyed strength and status.

Although he never wore a wig, Washington did powder his hair to make it white. That was a common sign of wealth and distinction, Pappas explains. But the powder might also have been to help cover up his hair’s awful smell.

The sixth president of the United States made a bold statement with his hair in 1825. Not only was John Quincy Adams the first president to ever have short hair, he was also the first to have facial hair.

“For the first half century in American history, presidents were typically clean-shaven; they were cultured and learned men of wealth and status, distrustful of democracy, protective of the vote and suspicious of ‘dirty populism’ and scruffy mob rule,” Pappas says. “Facial hair was fine for the frontier trapper, but it was beneath the dignity of the polite and educated gentlemen of the East Coast leadership class.”

Adams was known as “Old Man Eloquent” for his public speaking skills. As a politician, he wanted his words to speak more than his appearance. Adams’ fashion decisions were also a significant departure from his predecessors. He became the first president to wear pants instead of knee britches. His choice of short hair and plain clothes was likely seen as a move away from the aristocratic look to a more contemporary, modern style that emphasized practicality over opulence.

Martin Van Buren was the eighth president of the United States and a primary founder of the Democratic Party. He was also the first president not born a British subject. He became known to many as the “Red Fox of Kinderhook” because of his bushy red sideburns. While he wasn’t the first president to have facial hair, his mutton chop sideburns and receding hairline were part of a carefully crafted image meant to portray an image-conscious politician. 

His look helped distinguish himself from the more rustic Old Hickory image of his predecessor, Andrew Jackson. And, well, those sideburns became incredibly memorable. His presidency, however, was not. Van Buren took office just weeks before the Panic of 1837, a financial crisis that caused a six-year depression. And despite a humble upbringing, Van Buren purchased one of the very first homes with indoor plumbing during the crisis. The American people were not amused, and he failed to win reelection. 

Honest Abe was never known for his good looks. In fact, just a month before his 1861 inauguration, the New-York World wrote: “Mr. Lincoln’s personal appearance disappointed everybody… Some found him better looking than they had ever hoped, others thought that the popular prints of him that have circulated so freely over the country of late were by many degrees too flattering, notwithstanding his new whiskers.”

It was Lincoln’s common-man appearance that endeared him to the American people, Pappas says. Lincoln’s dark black hair was part of that image. It often looked messy and unkempt, but that was symbolic of his authenticity and honesty. It conveyed his reluctance to conform to the expectations of being a politician. 

In October 1860, 11-year-old Grace Bedell famously wrote him a letter suggesting facial hair to improve his appearance and appeal to voters. Of course, not everyone was a fan of Lincoln; many of his opponents wanted him dead. He finally grew his famous beard during the dangerous train ride from Illinois to Washington, D.C., for his inauguration. “Many of his enemies who knew him only by popular posters, which routinely showed him clean-shaven, were not on the lookout for a bearded president-to-be,” Pappas says. After his inauguration, many Union soldiers also opted to grow out their beards.

When Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865, doctors, friends and family all snipped locks of his hair as keepsakes while he lay dying, Pappas says. One lock preserved by Mary Todd Lincoln is part of the collection of the Chicago History Museum.

Hair and image were constant factors in the Kennedy White House, Pappas says. Jacqueline Kennedy was considered a fashion icon, and John F. Kennedy’s Ivy League haircut was viewed as refined and timeless. 

Kennedy was the youngest president ever to be elected at just 43 years old in 1961, and his hairstyle reflected that. It was full and dark with a neat part. His look suggested seriousness and was a stylish blend of youthful authority. He projected a fresh image of leadership in a modern America.

“Both Kennedys were determined to maintain the president’s perfect hairstyle,” Pappas says. The president routinely gave “precise instructions on how to brush his hair, and he was forever patting his head and smoothing his locks for the camera.”

Kennedy also understood the power of television and photography. Scholars overwhelmingly believe his performance—and looks—during the first televised presidential debate against Richard Nixon helped him win the 1960 election.

When 5-year-old Jacob Philadelphia and his family got a chance to meet President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on May 8, 2009, he only knew Obama was his dad’s boss. His father was leaving a position with the National Security Council and his family was invited to take a goodbye photo with the president. 

Jacob’s older brother asked Obama about the F-22 Raptor jet. But Jacob had a much more pressing question for the 44th president: He wanted to know if Obama’s hair was just like his. Obama’s response? He bent over and told Jacob to see for himself. As the boy reached up to touch the president’s hair, White House photographer Pete Souza snapped what is now known as “Hair Like Mine.”

The image from that day symbolized many things about the Obama presidency. Thanks to this simple gesture, kids of color could see themselves in a powerful position like the presidency, one they’d been excluded from for more than two centuries.

There probably hasn’t been a U.S. president whose hair has been talked about more than Donald Trump’s. Part of his look long before the White House, Trump’s hairstyle became part of his image as a businessman and political outsider.

The coiffed combover is a stark departure from the conservative grooming methods of other modern presidents. Trump uses it to support the idea that he’s a rule breaker and a right-wing populist. That departure from convention has won him a deep connection with many Americans who view him as transparent and rebellious.