Does the iconic Peaky Blinders haircut have a backstory? Historical premise, explored

More than a decade after the debut of Steven Knight’s 2013 crime drama, the Peaky Blinders haircut worn by Cillian Murphy’s character continues to fuel conversations among fans and style enthusiasts alike.

Based on the real-life 1880s Birmingham gang, Peaky Blinders aptly captures the rise of Tommy Shelby, as he builds his empire in Small Heath and achieves social mobility for his family and brothers.

While the BBC series became an instant hit when it debuted on Netflix US in 2014, Tommy Shelby's unique haircut and dapper ensemble caught the eyes of young males and renewed their interest in fine tailoring.

The Peaky Blinders haircut is essentially called a disconnected undercut, where the sides of the head are clipped extremely short, leaving a long tuft of hair in the middle, which can be styled in multiple ways.

Read on to know the backstory behind Tommy Shelby's haircut in the BBC series.

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Years after Steven Knight's crime drama, the Peaky Blinders haircut is still the talk of the town

While TV shows have influenced women's fashion, clothing, and even hairstyle for decades, the men's fashion world had seldom seen such a wave of inspiration before the Peaky Blinders haircut.

Young male fans unanimously flocked to their barber shops asking for the Tommy Shelby haircut. This was the hype around this popular hairstyle and is still the talk of the town even after a decade.

Tommy Shelby's haircut is for men what Rachel Green's haircut (from Friends) was for women, back when the sitcom first aired.

While the Peaky Blinders haircut gained attention and men longed to style their hair like Tommy Shelby, the disconnected undercut is actually rooted in history and is historically accurate.

In an interview with Express UK, one of the show's writers discussed the historical accuracy behind the famous haircut:

"The Peaky Blinders haircut is historically accurate and has been a popular look since the 20th century, particularly amongst young working-class men.''

Piecing together the backstory of this haircut, it was popular among the young working-class men in the 20th century. Originating in interwar Glasgow, the undercut was mostly found on petty criminals (also called Neds) and eventually found its way to street gang members.

Members of the street gangs started favoring this haircut, as described by historian Andrew Davies in one of his academic papers:

"Members of street gangs in England also favoured the undercut hairstyle because long hair put them at a disadvantage during a street fight."

Since this particular undercut was common among street gangs, it made sense that the Shelby brothers sported this haircut in the BBC series.

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The Peaky Blinders haircut never grew on star Cillian Murphy

Ironically, while the world gushed over Cillian Murphy's Peaky Blinders haircut, the actor did not like it, and the haircut never grew on him.

While Murphy played the iconic Tommy Shelby throughout six seasons of the BBC show, he never liked the Shelby Brothers' haircut and was alarmed by its popularity, as he revealed in an interview with the Belfast Telegraph:

"I was alarmed by the haircut, I have to admit, but I'm contractually obliged to have it. It's not grown on me in four years now. I normally keep my hair long."

With Murphy donning slight variations of the haircut in different seasons of the show, fans are excited to see his new look in the upcoming movie, The Immortal Man.

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