Back in 1795, British Prime Minister William Pitt instituted a powder tax in hopes to raise some bread for the Napoleonic Wars.

At the time, powdered hair was all the rage, worn primarily by the wealthy families of Great Britain to signal just how goddamn rich they really were (think of it like the 18th century equivalent of a Rolex).

Pitt, the clever bastard that he was, justified his powder tax by claiming hair powder was made from cornstarch, which meant wasting food that could be feeding the hungry.

This claim would later turn out to be a hot crock of shit because 95% of hair powder was actually made out of the inedible parts of the corn plant.

Regardless, Pitt’s powder tax divided the nation overnight as hair powder became a political statement.

Those who chose to powder their hair signaled that they were in support of the Napoleonic War.Those who chose not to powder their hair signaled they were against the war and wearing “human blood”.

The press went absolutely ballistic over the political divide with one satirical poem remixing Hamlet’s famous soliloquy and claiming the great question of the day was… To wear a wig or not to wear a wig?

While all this was going on, a playboy by the name of Richard Barry (also known as the 7th Earl of Barrymore) was blowing through his inheritance while pursuing an education at Eton College.

Barry was gambling his socks off, screwing everything that wasn’t nailed down and drinking like a man stranded in the desert who just happened upon a fully-stocked saloon. An avid sportsman, Barry played cricket, boxed and raced horses. If he were born again today, he’d be an Instagram influencer with his own hot sauce and next in line to fight Logan Paul.

Anyway, in the heat of The Powder Wars, Barry and his two brothers showed up in public one day with short-cropped hair that couldn’t take any powder at all. To express the level of shock this had on Great Britain, I’d liken it to the time Britney Spears went bat-shit crazy and shaved her head.

Because of Barry and his band of brothers, powdering one’s hair went out of style overnight and short-cropped hair took its place.

All that to say, there’s never just two choices. There’s always a third choice and it’s always creative.

By Cole Schafer.

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