Small on Top

CA. 1353-1336 B.C. Queen Nefertiti

The ancient Egyptian ruling class had elongated skulls—whether by genes or artificial means is debated. Is this how it all started?

Artificial enhancement Nazca skull

Ancient cultures practiced cranial deformation using bindings and boards to achieve a stately dome.

CA. 1533-1603 Queen Elizabeth I

Medieval and Renaissance damsels shaved their hairlines to fake a large aristocratic forehead, but huge sleeves and ruffles created a pinhead effect.

1930s Betty Boop

Max Fleischer's inflated airhead flapper, based on It Girl Clara Bow, mixed baby-like innocence and sexual availability.

The Talkies Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff

Did the giant screen—upon which large heads are said to read better—create monsters?

1960s-'70s Balanchine and Suzanne Farrell

Balanchine's ballerinas were long-legged with a small head. Great news for tiny tops, except you also had to be an elite dancer.

A Hollywood president and his wife just say no to small heads.

1986 Thierry Mugler

Heads are dwarfed by voluminous triangular silhouettes. Interesting, yes. Attractive? Maybe.

Early 2000s Victoria Beckham

Postpartum busyness makes Posh ultrathin and starts a trend.

2001 Bratz Dolls

An Onion News Network segment decries these as unrealistic role models for daughters; at human scale, their noggins would be 5 1/2 feet around.

2003 Carmen Kass

Fashion illustration uses a 10-to-one body-to-head ratio, which may explain the smallheaded-model phenom, but (see Suzanne Farrell) long limbs are required for this look.

2010 First Lady Michelle Obama

With her sanely balanced proportions, our first-lady beauty icon might usher in the un-lollipop era.

S/S 2011 Vera Wang Runway

These headexpanding bouffants suggest that the lure of large persists.