The Crew Cut Haircut: A Versatile Classic

Few hairstyles have made their way through every style subculture as much as crew-cut haircuts have. Here’s a comprehensive look at this classic crop.

Source: Reddit

The crew-cut haircut is an old favorite of Ivy League river-goers and our armies. In addition to heroes, villains, such as gangsters and thugs from several cultural wars, wear it, too.

Suffice it to say, it’s highly versatile. It’s one of the few haircuts that, as long as you find the right variant, goes well with most face shapes, bone structures, and head sizes. And hey, I can certainly get on board with any hairstyle that requires little to no maintenance.

But what are the origins of this ubiquitous cut? Why did it make its way through so many types of guys? Even more, why does the men’s crew cut have so much lasting power? 

Here’s everything you never thought you needed to know, but I promise you’ll find helpful (and fascinating) about crew cuts for men.

And a side note: There are two camps out there — those who spell it as one word, crewcut, and those who spell it as two. For consistency, we’ll be sticking to the latter.

So, let’s start by asking the following question: What exactly is a crew cut?

What Is a Crew Cut?

Basically, a crew is a haircut that’s so short that the hair on the top of your head stands upright and straight.

If you have naturally straight hair, it can’t fall over or flop to any side. A shortcut that you can comb in one direction is still too long to be a crew cut.

A slight lean, with the help of hair products, is okay, though.

If you have naturally curly hair, the cut should be close enough to the scalp that the tendrils aren’t forming yet. 

When most people think of a crew, it usually involves a slightly longer front hairline. That hairline graduates into a shorter cut towards the back. So, the hair around the crown is often closer to the scalp. 

It’s also popular to do a close buzz on the sides, sometimes with a fade, sometimes without.

Still, there are several variations of the crew, which we’ll, of course, get into.

Crew Cut Haircuts: A History

As mentioned, many groups adopted the crew cut over the years. But, it originated in the gilded world of the Ivy League.

In the late ‘20s, some say 1927, a member of Yale’s rowing team buzzed his hair short. This gent, Jock Whitney, supposedly did this for a clearer view while rowing. 

Since the crew sits backward from the direction the boat is going, your hair can blow onto your face while you row. Moreover, you can’t take your hands off the oars.

Photo by Corepics / Depositphotos.com

The rest of his crew team adopted the convenient style, and thus, we have the name for the men’s crew cut.

There’s also an urban legend that Ivy football players purposefully kept their hair longer than the crew guys. This way, you can tell the difference between the two types of athletes. 

I’m not sure how true this is, but I love the rivalry of it all. It’s very possible that the football players just needed more cushion in their helmets, but who knows?

From Campus to the Trenches and Back Again

Crew cuts for men became popular during World War II among American soldiers. 

Not only was it convenient and easy to maintain (and style), but it was a way for soldiers to reduce the possibility of head lice.

They lived in incredibly small rooms, which is conducive to lice. To this day, most people associate the crew cut with military style.

Photo by Melena-Nsk / Depositphotos.com

As with most styles that originate in the military, this cut became popular among the general public. There were a lot of hairstyles in the 1950s. However, the crew-cut haircut was especially popular among the preppy set. So, back to the Ivy League, it went.

It was the short, disciplined “good boy” style, compared to the long, wild rocker cuts like the pompadour. In fact, there’s a variation of the crew called the Ivy League, also referred to as the Harvard clip or the Princeton clip.

The Crew Cut Today

There was a brief moment in the ‘90s when the crew cut gained an association with gang members. It was an easy cut to do at home, and people referred to it as “homemade”. 

Their rendition was so short it was something in between a buzzcut and a crew. 

A hair buzzer has number settings. The #1 setting is as close to the head as your hair can get without going full bald. Many gangs favored a #2 or #3 buzzer, with the sides close to a #1. 

Today, however, there’s no such association with the cut. In fact, it’s pretty neutral and incredibly mainstream. It’s definitely a go-to classic style for guys who want a no-fuss cut that requires no hair product. Celebrities, politicians, professional athletes, local bartenders, and so on wear crew cuts.

The 8 Crew Cut Styles Including Modern Crew Cuts

As mentioned, there are many variations of crew cut styles. Let’s look at some of the most common ones.

Crew Cut Fade

A crew cut fade is one in which the hair on the top of your head is significantly longer than the sides. Its defining feature, however, is that the length difference happens gradually, creating a faded look.