John Lennon Looked at His Ex-wife With ‘Hatred’ After She Got a Bad Haircut

John Lennon had a particular affinity for his wife’s long, blonde hair. That is, until she cut it short and he didn’t speak to her for two days. Here’s what Cynthia Lennon said about the Beatles’ member and his reaction to her short locks in her 2005 memoir John.

John Lennon began a relationship with his college classmate, Cynthia Lennon

John Lennon began writing and performing music while in college. He partnered with Paul McCartney and George Harrison for the Quarrymen. Around the same time, he started a relationship with Cynthia Lennon (then Cynthia Powell). She was also a student at Liverpool College of Art.

In her 2005 memoir, Cynthia Lennon noted John Lennon’s particular affinity for her hair. At one point, she even dyed her locks a lighter shade of blonde to grab his attention. It worked — the two started their relationship shortly after. 

The couple remained together as the Beatles rose in popularity, with John and Cynthia Lennon officially marrying in 1962 after an unexpected pregnancy. They had their first child, Julian, in 1963.

Cynthia Lennon wrote about John Lennon’s reaction to her short haircut 

Due to safety concerns, Cynthia Lennon spent weeks away from her husband, mainly when he was on tour. At one point, she decided to get a haircut — unfortunately, it didn’t look as good as she had envisioned. 

“When I saw it I was horrified and I knew John would hate it,” Cynthia Lennon wrote in John. “My hair was one of the things he loved best about me. I spent the evening wondering what to do.”

When Lennon came home from tour, she put her hair in rollers so he couldn’t see its length. The following day, however, she said there was “no hiding it.”

“I had known he wouldn’t like it but I wasn’t prepared for just how angry he would be,” she continued. “He looked at me with hatred and screamed, ‘What have you done?’ Then he refused to talk to me, or even look at me, for two days. It was awful. I preferred him shouting to the furious silence.”

The two eventually made up, with John Lennon taking his wife on a belated honeymoon in Paris.

John Lennon said his ideal woman would have dark hair

Although John and Cynthia Lennon’s relationship lasted several years, the couple eventually got a divorce. In Skywriting by Word of Mouth, Lennon described his ideal woman as someone “intelligent and dark-haired.” 

The Beatles member then mentioned his first wife’s blonde hair, although he couldn’t remember what her natural hair color was.

Because Yoko Ono had dark hair and her own “side interests,” It made sense for John Lennon to pursue the relationship. The two met at an art exhibit in 1966, with Cynthia and John Lennon officially splitting in 1968. The songwriter married Ono months later — in 1969.