Widow's peak

Actor Gary Cooper had a distinctive widow's peak.

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]

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]

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]

Former United States Speaker of the House Paul Ryan.

People with natural widow's peaks include singers Lauren Jauregui, Elvis Presley, 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, 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]

• Media related to Widow's peaks at Wikimedia Commons
• The dictionary definition of widow's peak at Wiktionary