How the 90s strips became a symbol for female transgression - A beauty statement shared by witches, alt girls and strong, independent women

Narcissa Malfoy, Rogue from X-Men, the Bride of Frankenstein and Dua Lipa. They are different women, some fictional, some real, who share charisma, charm and a beauty detail that conveys glamour, danger and deviance:a lightening of some strands in relation to the rest of the hair, almost always on the sides of the face, but not always. Some call them "chunky highlights" or "face framing", others, especially when the lighter part is in different parts of the hair, "skunk hair", but the 90s strands are all variations of the Mallen streak. This is where they originated.. Whether natural or artfully coloured, it's a strand of traditionally, but not always, white hair that sits at the hairline and can fade out into a single strip, a fringe or a half-half Cruella de Vil look. It is much more than a trend that recurs cyclically, it is a powerful symbol of defiance and transgression used by women (and others) as a gesture of rebellion against social and gender inequality. How did it come about?

The origins of the term "Mallen streak"

The term, originally derived from the Latin word "malignus" meaning malignant, has only been around since the 1970s. It was first coined by writer Catherine Cookson in her The Mallen Trilogy, a series of books describing the lives of a cursed family in which each member is accumulated by an unfortunate fate and a lock of white-coloured hair as a hereditary trait. As Cookson writes, "it was said that those who bore this feature seldom lived to old age, and that nothing good ever came of a mallen."

Natural trait or evil sign?

In a small percentage of people, the white-coloured strand of hair occurs naturally and may be a genetic trait that should not be confused with greying of the hair due to age. It is called poliosis and occurs when a grey or white strand of hair appears while the rest of the hair retains its natural colour. This localised greying of the hair can occur at birth or later and can spread to the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. The cause? Low levels of melanin and melanocytes in the hair follicle. In some and rarer cases, it can be a symptom of more serious congenital disorders, such as Piebaldism or Waardenburg Syndrome. For centuries, those who had this aesthetic trait were discriminated against, even persecuted or felt guilty. In recent years, however, things have changed thanks to highlights, prized by alt and it girls, which have made depigmented locks or a different colour to the rest of the hair a trend. Now, however, it's "a fuck you to heteronormative beauty standards, especially those that confuse grey hair and difference with a lack of attractiveness."

How the 90s strips became a symbol for female transgression A beauty statement shared by witches, alt girls and strong, independent women | Image 466117

From mediaeval villains to pop culture to the present day, the step is short. The phenomenon of mallen stripes first became popular in the 1950s as part of rockabilly culture, at a time when bleach kits were sold in local drugstores and "how-to" articles in women's magazines catapulted different-coloured topknots into the mainstream, probably as a seemingly frivolous and superficial way of standing up to domesticity and gender conformity. Over time, it became a means of reclaiming one's identity and resisting "everything the straight look tries to homogenise and asepticise" Whether a white-haired witch, a pop star with highlights like Geri Halliwell in the 1990s and Billie Eilish, or an e-girl from the internet - the Mallen Streak (in the coloured version) stands for alternative beauty that also loves and flaunts the darker sides of one's personality and rebels against stereotypes.