In recent years, there has been a growing trend of girls and women shaving their heads. From celebrities like Cara Delevingne to ordinary women, more and more females seem to be embracing the shaved head look. But why are women deciding to shave off all their hair? There are a few key reasons behind this trend.
As a Symbol of Empowerment
For many women, shaving their heads is a way to take control of their bodies and their lives. It allows them to reject society’s expectations of how women “should” look. Shaving their heads is an act of defiance against traditional beauty standards that equate femininity with having long, flowing locks. It’s a way for women to show that they are not defined by their looks and that they have agency over their bodies. Pop singer Sinead O’Connor brought this idea into the mainstream when she shaved her head in the 1990s as a statement against the sexual objectification of women in the music industry. Since then, other female celebrities like Cara Delevingne, Willow Smith and Kristen Stewart have also buzzed their hair in an act of empowerment and as a rejection of feminine ideals.
For Convenience
Another practical reason women shave their heads is simply for convenience. Maintaining long hair can be time-consuming and expensive. Long locks require regular trims, intensive conditioning routines and products like heat protectants and anti-frizz serums. Shaving your head eliminates the need for all these tedious hair care regimens. It saves time and money. For busy women juggling work, family and other responsibilities, buzzing off their hair can be a low-maintenance, hassle-free option. American ultra-runner Oswaldo Lopez shaved her head before competing in a 161-mile race through the Himalayas. For her extreme athletic pursuits, having a shaved head was simpler and more practical than dealing with haircare.
Medical Reasons
Some women decide to shave their heads when faced with medical hair loss conditions. Chemotherapy treatment for cancer causes hair to fall out, so many women decide to shave their heads preemptively before starting chemo. This gives them a sense of control over the process. Other conditions like alopecia areata can also cause patchy or complete hair loss. Shaving the head is sometimes recommended as a treatment for this autoimmune disorder. Actress and model Selma Blair famously buzzed off her hair after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The autoimmune disease led to her hair falling out in clumps, so she took the empowering step of shaving it entirely.
As Part of Religious Observance
Shaving the head can also be linked to certain religious or spiritual practices. Buddhist nuns often shave their heads when taking their vows. This symbolizes renouncing material concerns and embracing the monastic life. Some Hindu sects also encourage head shaving as a form of religious sacrifice. For instance, the god Venkateswara is believed to like tonsured heads. Devotees at the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh, India, ritually shave their heads before entering the holy temple. Many Hindu widows also remove their hair as a sign of mourning after their husband’s death.
To Show Solidarity
In some cases, women shave their heads to show support for a cause or loved one. When a friend was diagnosed with cancer, TV host Montel Williams famously shaved his head on air in solidarity. Many women also buzz off their hair when a family member loses theirs due to chemo treatments. Shaving in solidarity provides emotional support and shows the person that they are not alone. After her sister was diagnosed with cancer, actress Nadia Sawalha shaved off her hair live on TV while her sister did the same. They sobbed and embraced in a moving symbol of sisterhood.
As a Dare or Rite of Passage
For some women, shaving their heads represents a rite of passage into adulthood. Graduating high school or college, ending a relationship and other milestone moments might inspire a young woman to dramatically change up her look by buzzing off her hair. It can represent a chance to reinvent herself. Other times, women shave their heads on a dare. Bets or drinking games could prompt a woman to let her friend take clippers to her locks. While this is not the most meaningful motivation, the sense of risk and doing something wild can appeal to young women feeling bored or uninspired in life.
To Counter Hair Loss from Styling Damage
Years of over-styling with harsh chemicals and tools can cause long-term hair damage. This damage can lead to thinning, split ends, and breakage that progressively ruins the condition of women’s hair. As their locks become unsalvageably fried, some women decide to just shave it all off and start fresh. This clears away all the dead, damaged hair so new, healthy hair can grow back in its place. Actress Charlize Theron decided to shave her head after years of bleach and dye destroyed her formerly luscious blonde locks. Shaving her damaged hair allowed her natural brunette hair to eventually regrow healthier.
As a Costume or Disguise
In costume design or undercover work, shaving your head can serve as an effective disguise. Movie superheroine Black Widow shaves her signature red locks in Avengers: Endgame as part of a disguise while on the run. Investigative journalists have also shaved their heads when going undercover to expose unethical practices. The dramatic change makes them unrecognizable to any informants who might blow their cover. Shaving off long hair and makeup can create an androgynous look that allows women to blend in as fellow men in male-dominated spaces.
To Eliminate Gendered Expectations
Long hair is intrinsically linked to traditional notions of femininity in most cultures. Some women shave their heads to escape gender norms imposed on them from childhood. Chopping off culturally-conditioned symbols of femininity allows them to present themselves on their own terms, separate from gendered expectations. Singer-songwriter Miley Cyrus spoke about this motivation when she dramatically buzzed off her long Hannah Montana locks. Shaving her head let her shed her preconceived good-girl image. Model Amber Rose describes maintaining her buzzed style as “emotional freedom-it’s so liberating”. Removing feminine physical traits helps many women combat sexism and express their individuality.
To Make a Fashion Statement
Edgy fashion models like Slick Woods and Kristen McMenamy sport buzzed heads on the runway. Their shaved style captures attention and disrupts traditional beauty standards. For models who cut their teeth in the fashion industry in the 90s and early 2000s-when long, bouncy waves were favored in the modelling world-shaving their heads makes a stark, futuristic fashion statement. It also provides a blank canvas for experimental makeup, accessory and clothing looks to shine. Instead of distracting hair, all eyes go directly to the bold runway ensemble.
| Celebrity | Reason for Shaving Head |
|---|---|
| Natalie Portman | Movie role |
| Willow Smith | Self-expression |
| Cara Delevingne | New look |
As an Act of Independence
Women who grew up in very conservative, patriarchal families and communities might shave their heads to establish their independence. Actress Tilda Swinton recalls shaving her head at 18 when she left home for university, against her parents’ wishes that she stay home until marrying. Chopping off her hair was an act of establishing her autonomy. For women constrained by family traditions and societal norms, removing their locks can symbolize finally making their own choices. A shaved head serves as a declaration that they are in control of their own lives.
To Defy Racial Norms
Throughout history, Black women’s natural hair has been policed and discriminated against-from prohibitions during slavery to racist grooming policies in schools and workplaces. Shaving their heads allows Black women to circumvent Eurocentric expectations to chemically straighten or relax their hair. Singer-songwriter Lauryn Hill appeared with a shaved head on the cover of her Grammy-winning 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. This set a precedent for other Black female artists like Keke Palmer and Amandla Stenberg to buzz their hair in promotion of self-acceptance.
To Telegraph Androgyny
Shaving the head creates an androgynous look, obfuscating the gender binary normally marked by hairstyles. Androgyny can allow women to freely express facets of themselves that defy traditional femininity. Model Tasha Tilberg recalls shaving her head initially for a photo shoot, but deciding to keep it to “blur the line between who I am on the inside and outside.” Amber Rose also says she feels “genderless” with her buzz, allowing her to be truly herself. For women who identify as non-binary or genderfluid, removing feminine hair helps manifest their inner selves.
As Rebellion Against Idealized Beauty
Mainstream media and advertising bombard girls from childhood with images of flawless models with long, flowing, princess-like hair. Shaving their heads allows women to rebel against these restrictive, idealized representations of female beauty. Singer Sinead O’Connor expressed this motivation for buzzing off her hair, explaining she refused to conform to the image of pretty pop star with cascading locks. Demi Moore’s buzzcut in the 1997 film G.I. Jane similarly created shockwaves by defying expectations. Removing their culturally-conditioned crown of beauty lets women upset mainstream feminine ideals.
To Gain Respect in Leadership Roles
In professional settings, women with shaved heads disrupt ingrained gender biases about what leaders look like. Being bald and eschewing feminine coiffed hairstyles projects authority and conveys that women are not to be underestimated. When Theresa May became the second-ever female British Prime Minister, her no-nonsense buzzcut bucked traditional expectations of women politicians. Researchers have confirmed that women with short hair are perceived as more competent and authoritative in leadership roles. Especially in male-dominated fields like business and politics, bald women defy preconceptions.
To Reclaim Power After Assault
Shaving their head empowers survivors of gender-based violence to reclaim their body. After enduring the trauma of assault, cutting off culturally-feminine hair allows women to reassert autonomy over themselves. Growing out their natural hair from scratch can symbolize healing. Singer Ani DiFranco appeared with a shaved head on the cover of her Righteous Babe record Not a Pretty Girl after surviving sexual abuse. Flipping the cultural script of women as sexualized objects, her buzzcut conveyed resilience.
Conclusion
As these wide-ranging motivations show, more and more women are shaving their heads in recent years to defy expectations, celebrate their bodies, express themselves, and feel empowered. Far from a passing fad, the dramatic rise of bald women represents a meaningful cultural shift. When pop culture only shows women with luscious locks, choosing to remove those culturally-conditioned tresses makes a bold statement of rebellion. Shaving their heads allows women to challenge traditional notions of beauty, femininity and how they present themselves to the world. For girls and women who feel constricted by societal gender norms, buzzing their hair is an act of catharsis. It is a way to shape their identity on their own terms.
