The Duck's Ass was a haircut style popular during the 1950s. It was also called the Ducktail, or simply D.A. (DA), for use in mixed company.

The combing technique

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The style required that the hair be combed back around the sides of the head. The end of a rattail comb was used to make a central part at the back of the head, resembling, to many, the rear end of a duck. In addition, the hair on the top front of the head was deliberately disarrayed so that untidy strands hung down over the forehead.

The ducktail hair style contributed to the term "greasers": to accomplish this look, lots of hair grease was required to hold the hair in place. This was still the era of hair creams, so it only required an increase in the amount to make hair remain in the desired style.

To insure that the hair was just so, the wearer often touched up the D.A. many times during the day by running his greased comb through it.

Significance of the style

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The D.A. quickly became a stereotypical feature of rebels and non-conformists. Although the ducktail was adopted by Hollywood to represent the wild youth of the Fifties, only a small minority of males actually sported a D.A., even amongst the British Rockers and Teddy Boys of the same era.

1950s fashion | Hairstyles