There is attraction and repulsion to the unusual.
In the beginning of June, Etsy had a post on its blog called Keep it Weird: Cat Lady, and “Caged” hair puff necklace was featured. Next came Catsparella (which featured a nice post with pictures), Modern Cat, and Laughing Squid. Then an article in Wired UK, which contributed to the cat hair jewelry phenomenon going viral.
The comments to the jewelry went from one extreme to the other—creepy to awesome.
Some Hair History— hair jewelry was the height of the romanticism and sentiment that characterized the Victorian era. Some pieces were done as mourning pieces or “momento mori”. While some may find this morbid, for the Victorians death was a common and accepted part of everyday life especially due to the higher infant mortality rate of the time, and the devastation of the Civil War. Hair jewelry was not always mourning jewelry, however, as it was also crafted as love tokens from sweethearts, family members and cherished friends.
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- victorian “hair” earrings
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- modern human hair necklace
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- Flora’s Spiraled Puffs cat hair necklace
It is interesting to note that when hair is on the head, we take pride in it, and the same could be said for hair on an animal, it usually evokes a pleasant experience. BUT, once it leaves it roots, aversion can set in and take over.
furandsteel 