The Tragic Rise and Decline of Old Hollywood Star Veronica Lake

During an early film shoot in 1941, a loose curl fell over one of Lake’s eyes, creating the now-iconic “peek-a-boo” hairstyle. Paramount immediately recognized its power and made it her signature look.

The hairstyle became a national obsession, copied by women across America and strongly associated with wartime erotic fantasy. Ironically, Lake had little control over it. The image overshadowed her acting and later became a liability, as the studio blamed her for distracting female factory workers during the war.