What Was the Beatles' Haircut Called?

The Beatles' iconic haircut, which became synonymous with the band's image during the 1960s, is commonly known as the "Beatle haircut" or the "Beatle mop-top." This hairstyle featured longer bangs that swept across the forehead and were slightly longer at the back and sides, creating a distinctive and youthful look.

Jürgen Vollmer, a German photographer and friend of The Beatles, is often credited with giving The Beatles their distinctive hairstyle during their early days in Hamburg, Germany, in the early 1960s.

According to Vollmer's account, he first met The Beatles in Hamburg in 1960 and quickly struck up a friendship with them. Vollmer was a student at the time and had a keen interest in photography and fashion. He was struck by The Beatles' unique style and personalities and had an opportunity to help them stand out even more.

The mop-top hairstyle quickly became a symbol of the Beatlemania phenomenon, with millions of fans around the world emulating the band's look. It became one of the defining fashion trends of the 1960s and remains an enduring symbol of the era's youth culture and musical revolution.

It was an act of rebellion; it wasn't that I thought it looked beautiful. So when The Beatles came in ’60 for the first time [and played] at the Kaiserkeller, they saw me with this hairdo. Klaus has often said that I was the first [to have it]. Klaus never had the pony; it looked too feminine for him—that's what he said. He wore his hair to the side. And Stuart never had a pony; he also had it to the side...I didn’t want them to change. I thought they looked great. For me, as a photographer, I loved their hair—the Elvis [Presley] hair. But they said, ‘We want it like you had in Hamburg.’ That’s the thing: I didn’t even have the haircut anymore.

-Jürgen Vollmer