Originally published July 27-31 2020.
Angelina described herself as “a little girl with a big hair and lost teeth” when she debuted on Norway Got Talent. Since then a free flowing head of hair capped by a flower crown has been her signature stage style – albeit with a few glaring exceptions.
Breaking the norm for the first time, Angelina performed at the “Allsang på Grensen” concert on June 3rd, 2014 with an extravagant bouffant hairdo.
Bouffant was reputedly designed in the late 18th century for the French Queen Marie Antoinette. Its modern revival was generally attributed to Jackie Kennedy. The bouffant of 1960s came in many shapes and sizes, the type Angelina wore on this occasion seems to be the “half-up bouffant” epitomized by Brigitte Bardot.
Birgitte Bardot
Angelina looked resplendent with her hair raised high on the head pinned with red and pink roses.Interestingly, TV2 shot a preview featurette of Angelina for this concert, in which she wore a pompadour hairdo.
Pompadour is another retro hairstyle originated from the 18th century France. It was all the rage in the 1940s, popularized by movie stars such as Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, and Katherine Hepburn. More recently, it was featured in the American sitcom “Seinfeld” by the character Elaine Benes.
In this featurette, Angelina sported a French braid together with the pompadour to create an exceptionally adorable look (Pic No.4).
It is not the kind of style usually favoured by 8-year-old girls. Then again, Angelina was no ordinary 8-year-old girl.
It was not until December 14, 2017 when Angelina broke the norm again appearing at Cosmopolite in Oslo with the beehive hairdo.
The beehive was created by Chicago hairdresser Margaret Vinci Heldt in 1960, and popularized by Dusty Springfield, Aretha Franklin, Barbra Streisand and the Ronettes. The most iconic image of the beehive has to be that of Audrey Hepburn in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s”.
Audrey Hepburn
It saw a great revival in the early 2000s, worn by Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, Lady Gaga and Adele etc.
Lady Gaga. Photo: marcen27 from Glasgow, UKUploaded by C.Jonel, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Only one artist became synonymous with the beehive – Amy Winehouse. Since the release of her breakout album “Back to Black” in 2006, she had worn the beehive at every appearance. It was an integral part of her public persona.
Amy Winehouse
Angelina seems to be particularly fond of the beehive. She wore it on stage four times in 2018: the Gala de Danza on March 17; the concert with Forsvarets Stabsmusikkorps on June 16; the Quincy Jones concert on June 27; and the Kongsberg Jazzfestival on July 7.
The beehive she wore at the Quincy Jones concert was the most striking of all. The tousled tower of hair appears to be a homage to Amy Winehouse.
Angie and Quincy
However, the similarity stops at the first impression. The beehive was supposed to be a glamorous hairstyle. Amy Winehouse turned it into a personal manifesto, pairing it with her winged eyeliner and sailor tattoos. It was meant to be over the top, larger than life, and had little to do with glamour. “The more insecure I feel, the bigger my hair has to be,” she once said.
Amy Winehouse
Angelina is decidedly unlike Amy Winehouse in every way except an artistic affinity. She is as self-assured and well behaved as any young girl can ever be. Matching the beehive with a beautiful lace dress, she was glamour personified on the stage of O2 Arena – exactly as Margaret Vinci Heldt envisioned 58 years ago.