A hairstyling treatment that uses chemicals to create permanent waves or curls in hair. Short for 'permanent wave,' the process involves wrapping hair around rods and applying chemical solutions.
Shortened from 'permanent wave,' coined in the early 20th century when German hairdresser Karl Nessler invented the first permanent waving technique in 1906. The abbreviation 'perm' became popular in the 1920s as the treatment became more widespread.
The perm revolutionized personal grooming by making temporary beauty permanent - before this invention, women spent hours daily curling their hair with heated irons or sleeping in uncomfortable rollers. Ironically, the 'permanent' wave typically lasts only 3-6 months, showing how our definitions of permanence are often more about marketing than reality.
Permanent hair waves became marketed as feminine beauty procedures in the 1920s-30s, creating gendered assumptions about who seeks or receives perms.
Use without gender assumptions; perms are neutral grooming choices across gender identities.
["permanent wave","hair treatment"]
Women pioneers in cosmetology, like Madam C.J. Walker, developed hair care innovations that generated billions but were often credited to male entrepreneurs.
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