The Spider in the Hairdo (Halle Lake)

## Legend Summary

In the legend “The Spider in the Hairdo,” a young woman is obsessed with her beehive hairdo. So obsessed, in fact, that she refuses to wash it so that it can keep its glorious shape. Every day, she adds more and more hair spray but never dares to take a comb to it. Her hair is her pride and joy. But one day, it begins to itch and even hurt. Then, spiders began to fall from her hair! She is rushed to the hospital, and upon cutting open the matted hair, millions of black widow spiders pour out. But it was simply too late for the young woman.

## History

The beehive hairstyle became very popular in the 1950s; thus, rumors of bugs being found within the funky hairdo began circulating not long after. According to Brunvand, “the...legend has been well known at least since the 1950s,” yet there wasn’t much record of it until the 60s and 70s (Brunvand). It was most often circulated among high school and college students.

## Adaptations

There are many adaptations of “The Spider in the Hairdo” that vary in length, detail, and vocabulary, depending on the region in which it is told. It appears the urban legend has popped up across the United States, Canada, and even in parts of Europe. The bug found within the hair may vary from story to story, but more often than not it is a black widow spider.

One of the most detailed adaptations I found was one written by David Holt. His is written like a story, with dialogue, characters with names, and even locations. The young woman in his story is named Dolores and she is freshly out of high school. Her hairdresser, Andre, gives her the beehive of her dreams. Upon being hospitalized for multiple black widow bites on her arms, Dolores has an exterminator come and fumigate her apartment. She comes to the horrifying realization that the spiders are living in her hair. So, she runs to Andre’s salon in a panic, desperate for help. In the end, Dolores takes action into her own hands and buzzes her hair off.

My favorite of all the adaptations is in the 2019 film Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Ruth Steinburg wakes up with what she believes to be a large pimple forming on her cheek. She tries every at-home remedy, but nothing seems to work. When she attempts to pop it right before the school play, however, thousands of spiders flood out of her face. Because of this traumatic event, Ruth is put in a mental hospital for her PTSD.

## Analysis of Adaptations

Both adaptations of the legend are based in the 1960s in the United States. The leading ladies are both teenage females and are conscious of their appearances. In both the short story and the movie, there is much suggestive language to make the viewers and readers look down upon these women.

In Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, Ruth’s character is a typical mean girl and older sister. She is rude, inconsiderate, selfish, and popular, yet also self-conscious about her appearance and concerned about what other people think about her. Yet, when spiders begin to pour out of her face, it can be hard to feel bad for her at first. Yes, what is happening to her is terrible, but so is she! We are supposed to hate Ruth in some capacity. We are supposed to hate her because of her personality and actions and selfish concerns. She is more worried about boys and her image than anyone else. And the only person who sees her any differently is her younger brother. Ruth is written to be hated at first and is redeemed at the end of the movie solely out of the pity the audience feels towards her.

“Spider in the Hairdo” by David Holt also does a similar thing to Dolores. She is painted as being naive, “just graduated from high school and was living on her own for the first time” (Holt).  The author continues to use phrases like “ratted and teased” (Holt) to describe the method for forming her beehive. He also writes that “her hair became like a helmet” after a few weeks of following Andre the hairdresser’s instructions on how to maintain the hairdo in between visits to the salon (Holt). This kind of language makes the readers disgusted with Dolores’ hair.

The language used to talk about these two characters is supposed to show that beauty and vanity are not to be desired. If beauty is what you desire, artificial beauty at that, and you will do anything to maintain that image, then there will be severe consequences. What better way to prove a point than to connect it with something that is universally hated: spiders!

## Work Cited

Brunvand, Jan Harold. “Chapter 4: Dreadful Contaminations.” The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their Meanings, Norton, New York, 2003.

Ovredal, Andre, director. Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. Eagle Pictures, 2019.

Holt, David. “Spider in the Hairdo.” David Holt, www.davidholt.com/details/storytelling/spiders-in-the-hairdo/. Accessed 6 Oct. 2023.