“It was not until 1989 when the graduation photo album began to include the photos of students from all the Ewha colleges except for School of Medicine,” said Sohn Hyeon-ji, an official at Ewha Archives.
There has been a changing trend in the history of hair style and fashion among Ewha students taking graduation photo albums. These days, “Yu Gwan-sun style” is known to be the most popular style among Ewha students taking graduation photo. “Yu Gwan-sun style” means wearing white jacket and black miniskirt, similar to the style worn by Korean women in the early 20th century. When it comes to hair and make-up, the style trend is “natural,” according to Han Mi-hyun, a chief of Lee Kaja Hair Bis Ewha Womans University branch who has worked in the branch for 30 years.
“Students usually give big curls in their hair to the extent that the style does not look so artificial,” Han said. “Also, they seek hair style that looks good on them, rather than just following a trend. It is different from 1980s or 90s when many students preferred ‘Miss Korea’ style, meaning having big curls and thick make-up.”
The trend was different in the past. In 1960s and 1970s, the most popular hair style is short ‘bouffant’ hair style characterized by hair piled high on the head and hanging down on the sides. Also, students did not smile when they take picture, different from these days.
“We called the hair style as ‘twist’ hair style, as we made some curls on the upper part of our head and put the other hairs down,” professor Lee Kyung-hye (Nursing) who graduated in 1968 said.
From 1980s, the style and the color of clothes has become more diverse. The most popular hair style was “wind hair” as the big curls in the hair seemed as if the wind was blowing the hair.
“ ‘Yu Gwan-sun style’ was not a trend in our time. Wearing colorful clothes with detailed decoration was our trend,” professor Lee Seung-ah (English) who graduated in 1991 said.
In 2000s, the style and the color of clothes began to be limited to black, grey, or white but with variations. Students began to pose more confidently with a big smile. The trend still goes on.
“At first, I thought Ewha students would be more conservative than other universities and shy when they pose,” said Kim Tae-goo, a representative of CR studio, the studio taking Ewha’s graduation photo album for two years in a row. “But Ewha students pose with confidence and their posture is more creative and intense than I expected.”
Yang Su-bin & Yoo Seon-hwa
subinyang@ewhain.net & ja7122@ewhain.net