Utah claw

n. a female hairstyle typified by bangs projecting outward from the forehead. Subjects: English, United States, Apparel, Appearance, & Fashion, Body, Slang

Editorial Note: Sometimes also called the Mormon claw.

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Citations: 1994 [apowell@liberty.uc.wlu.edu (April N. Powell)] Usenet: alt.usage.english (Mar. 7) “Re: “Bad Hair Day””: “It was often used in reference to something I came to refer to as the “stiffened frontal bang facade,” a hair tierra set in place with blow drier, hair spray and teasing comb. The heights these can sometimes reach is quite ridiculous.”…“I grew up in an area of West Virginia where such hairstyles are quite popular. We always used to refer to the tall, teased bangs as ‘joke-catchers’ (kept the joke from going over one’s head). A friend from Idaho whom I met in college informed me that her circle of high school friends had dubbed the style of bangs the ‘Utah Claw.’” 1999 [kimncyn@aol.comspamiam (Cyn)] Usenet: alt.radio.talk.dr-laura (Nov. 16): “Very proud to say she has never had a spiral perm nor big, crunchy bangs.”…“Around here we call it the Utah Claw.” 2000 Robert Nelson (rnelson@library.utah.edu) Usenet: alt.tv.sopranos (Mar. 17) “Re: Application to Live in New Jersey”: Do you have the equivalent of what we know here as the Utah Claw. Long straight hair styled down with the bangs flipped up defying gravity and lacquered with hair spray to withstand hurricane winds? 2001 Anne Marie Cruz @ New York City ESPN The Magzine (July 27) “Splits and giggles”: “We have great theme parties. The last one was the white trash party. I had my hair like this,” she says, as she forces her bangs into a four-inch clump off her forehead. “The Utah claw!” exclaims Nicole in recognition. You could practically smell the hairspray. 2003 Jesse McKinley New York Times (Mar. 2) “A Night Out With Tiffani Thiessen” p. 9-4: “She had the Utah claw,” Mr. Simington explained, describing bangs that shot up toward the heavens. 2003 [Dandle] CTcentral.com (Conn.) (Oct. 10) “Town Talk: Should humans be playing with tigers?”: Actually, it was a “Utah Claw” that led to Roy Horn’s injury. According to the owner of the Mirage, the tiger became distracted by a woman with big hair in the front row. (I can sympathize; I also can’t help but stare at a white-trash woman with a hairdo that she hasn’t changed in 20 years.) 2004 [Jessica] Very Mom (Murray, Utah) (Aug. 4) “The Fartkeeper”: I never did perfect the “Utah Claw” it always fell over by 2nd period—but oh, I tried. Me and Aqua Net, we tried!

Posted 22 Oct 04 | Permalink | Tell a Friend