Snood (headgear)
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A snood (Template:IPAc-en) is a type of traditionally female headgear, with two types known. The long-gone Scottish snood was a circlet made of ribbon worn by young Scottish women as a symbol of chastity.<ref>"Snuid", Dictionaries of the Scots Language</ref> In the 1590s, snoods were made using Florentine silk ribbon for the gentlewomen at the court of Anne of Denmark by Elizabeth Gibb.<ref>Jemma Field, "Dressing a Queen: The Wardrobe of Anna of Denmark at the Scottish Court of King James VI, 1590–1603", The Court Historian, 24:2 (2019), pp. 158–159. Template:Doi</ref>
The other type was intended to hold the hair in a cloth or net-like hat.<ref name=britannica>Template:Britannica URL</ref><ref name=Hist1>Template:Cite web</ref> In the most common form, the headgear resembles a close-fitting hood worn over the back of the head. It is similar to a hairnet,<ref name=Hist1/> but snoods typically have a looser fit.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Decorative hairnets, popular among women in the Victorian era, were referred to as snoods. This term was then applied to any netlike hat, and, in the 1930s, to a net bag headgear. This latter meaning became popular during the Second World War when women joined the workforce en masse and were required to wear the headgear to avoid their hair getting caught by the moving parts of the factory machinery.<ref name=britannica/>
For a short time during WWII, the snoods were at the height of fashion (a hit of Paris collections in 1939).Template:Sfn
Beard snood
Another similar garment which is also referred to as a snood is used to cover facial hair such as beards and moustaches when working in environments such as food production.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Although it appears that "hairnet" has replaced "snood" as the common term for hair containment on the head, the term "beard snood" (essentially a "ringed scarf") is still familiar in many food production facilities.Template:Fact
Religious use
Women's snoods are often worn by married Orthodox Jewish women,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> according to the religious requirement of hair covering (see Tzniut). Since these snoods are designed to cover the hair more than hold it,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> they are often lined to prevent them from being see-through. Contemporary hair snoods for Jewish women come in a wide range of colors and designs.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the 21st century, women use snoods primarily for religious reasons.Template:Sfn