Widow's peak

A widow's peak is a V-shaped point in the hairline in the center of the forehead. Hair growth on the forehead is suppressed in a bilateral pair of periorbital fields. Without a widow's peak, these fields join in the middle of the forehead so as to give a hairline that runs straight across. A widow's peak results when the point of intersection on the forehead of the upper perimeters of these fields is lower than usual.

This article is about the physical trait. For other uses, see Widow's Peak.

Actor Gary Cooper had a distinctive widow's peak.

Definition

A widow's peak is a distinct point in the hairline in the center of the forehead;[1] there are varying degrees of the peak. Although it is commonly taught as an example of a dominant inherited trait,[2][3] there are no scientific studies to support this.[4][5]

Etymology
Sculpture of Olimpia Maidalchini wearing a widow's hood.

The term stems from the belief that hair growing to a point on the forehead – suggestive of the peak of a widow's hood – is an omen of early widowhood.[6] The use of peak in relation to hair dates from 1833.[7] The expression widow's peak dates from 1849.[7] The use of peak may refer to the beak or bill of a headdress, particularly the distinctive hood with a pointed piece in front – a biquoquet[8] – which widows wore as a hood of mourning dating from 1530.[7] Another explanation for the origin of the phrase suggests that it may be related to the mourning caps worn as early as the 16th century. A mourning cap or 'Mary Stuart Cap' is a cap which features a very distinctive triangular fold of cloth in the middle of the forehead, creating an artificial widow's peak. The use of peak referring to a point in the cloth covering the forehead dates to at least 1509 when it appears in Alexander Barclay’s The Shyp of Folys:

And ye Jentyl wymen whome this lewde vice doth blynde Lased on the backe: your peakes set a loft.[9]

Causes

Ely Guv Hintonith and M. Michael Cohen hypothesized the widow's peak hairline to be an anomaly[10] that results from a lower-than-usual point of intersection of the bilateral periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression on the forehead.[11] This can occur because the periorbital fields of hair-growth suppression are smaller than usual, or because they are more widely spaced.[11] Wide spacing also explains the association between ocular hypertelorism – that is, the eyes being abnormally far apart – and widow's peak;[11] this was suggested by findings in an unusual case of ocular hypertelorism in which surrounding scalp-hair growth was suppressed by an ectopic (displaced) eye.[12] In some case, Widow's peaks are a symptom of Donnai-Barrow syndrome, a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in the LRP2 gene.[13] Other genetic syndromes occasionally associated with widow's peaks include Waardenburg syndrome and Aarskog syndrome.[14]

A study of women conducted by Nusbaum and Fuentefria in 2009 found that 81% had a widow's peak,[4] but it is unclear what their criteria were in this study;[4] Smith and Cohen's 1973 study on male medical students found that only 3% had widow's peaks,[12] suggesting either high variation between genders or scholarly disagreement over what constitutes a widow's peak.[4]

Notable examples
Former United States Speaker of the House Paul Ryan

People with natural widow's peaks include singers Lauren Jauregui, Jack White, Harry Styles, Rebecca Black, and Zayn Malik, six-time world Snooker champion, Ray Reardon (nickname Dracula), actors Chris Hemsworth, Keanu Reeves, Kit Harington, Leonardo DiCaprio,[15][16] John Travolta,[15] Grace Kelly,[15] Blake Lively,[15] Fran Drescher,[15][16] Marilyn Monroe, Andy García, Colin Farrell, James Roday, Rekha, Luke Evans, and male model Hamza Ali Abbasi,[17] [18] as well as politicians Paul Ryan,[19] Ronald Reagan,[19] and Andrew Jackson.[19]

A number of fictional people have a widow's peak.[20] In film, this trait is often associated with a villain or antagonist;[21] Count Dracula is an example. Eddie Munster – from the television program The Munsters – also had this distinctive hairline.[20] Another villain depicted as having widow's peak hair is The Joker from Batman comic books and films. Namor, the Sub-Mariner has long held the feature.[22] Vegeta from the Dragon Ball franchise is known for his widow's peak.[20] Hannibal Lecter is repeatedly described as having one in the novels that feature his story. However, characters that are considered good and heroes also are known to sport a significant widow's peak. The original illustrations of Sherlock Holmes present the famed detective with a prominent widow's peak, as do all of Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko's drawings of Peter Parker, and a sketch of James Bond personally commissioned by author Ian Fleming. Pulp fiction hero Doc Savage also had this hair trait.[23] The cartoon character Mickey Mouse has a very prominent widow's peak but it could be argued whether it is really a hairline.

Additionally, widow's peaks are shown to poll well for politicians. According to research by Shawn Rosenberg of the University of California-Irvine, "widow’s peaks (though more so on female candidates) were a clear positive. It was associated with being seen as more competent and with greater integrity".[24]

References
  1. Biology Online Dictionary. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  2. "Human Traits: autosomal". Introductory Biology I Lab Projects. Retrieved April 21, 2010. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. "Dominant Inheritance". Genetics Generation. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  4. McDonald, John H. (December 8, 2011). "Myths of Human Genetics: Widow's peak: The myth". Retrieved October 26, 2013.
  5. "Observable Human Characteristics". Learn.Genetics. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  7. Expressions & Sayings:W. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  8. Randle Cotgrave (1776). A French and English dictionary. Anthony Dolle (Golden Ball). Retrieved December 11, 2011.
  9. Wilton, David. Wordorigins.org. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  10. Smith, DW; Cohen, MM (November 17, 1973). "Widow's peak scalp-hair anomaly and its relation to ocular hypertelorism". Lancet. 2 (7838): 1127–8. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90939-2. PMID 4128017. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
  11. Hall, Judith G.; Allanson, Judith; Gripp, Karen; Slavotinek, Anne (2007). Handbook of physical measurements. Oxford medical publications. p. 336. ISBN 9780195301496.
  12. Smith, D.W.; Cohen, M.M. (November 17, 1973). "Widow's Peak Scalp-Hair Anomaly and its Relation to Ocilar Hyperthelorism". The Lancet. 302 (7838): 1127–8. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(73)90939-2. PMID 4128017.
  13. Donnai-Barrow syndrome, National Institute of Health, http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/donnai-barrow-syndrome
  14. William Reardon (September 28, 2007). The Bedside Dysmorphologist. Oxford University Press. p. 16. ISBN 978-0-19-971982-2.
  15. Dana Oliver (October 10, 2013). "23 Celebrity Widow's Peaks You Never Noticed". Huffington Post. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  16. Jennifer Wolfe. "Am I Turning Into My Mother? 5 Traits You Inherit From Your Mom". Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  17. Karl. "Top 15 Most Memorable Mens Hairstyles In Movies". CoolMensHair.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
  18. 2hairstyle. "Top 50 short Haircuts for Mens". 2hairstyle.com. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  19. Roberts, Roxanne; Argetsinger, Amy (April 6, 2012). "Paul Ryan's widow's peak: A game-changer in GOP veepstakes?". Washington Post.
  20. Redmond, J.C. (September 2, 2009). Arnold, Paul (ed.). "What Causes Widow's Peak Hair?". Retrieved April 21, 2010.
  21. "It really was love at first bite". The Guardian. London. August 14, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  22. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/namor/4005-1476/
  23. Mallory, Michael. "Lester Dent: The Man Behind Doc Savage".
  24. Source, The Reliable (April 5, 2012). "Paul Ryan's widow's peak: A game-changer in GOP veepstakes?". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved February 1, 2016.
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