Head shaving
Shaving the hair from a person's head
A Thai Buddhist monk shaving the head of a man preparing to also become a Buddhist monk; this is known as tonsure

Head shaving, also known as being bald by choice,[1] is the shaving of the hair from a person's head. People throughout history have shaved all or part of their heads for diverse reasons including aesthetics, convenience, culture, fashion, practicality, punishment, a rite of passage, religion, or style.

Early history

The earliest historical records describing head shaving are from ancient Mediterranean cultures such as Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Egyptian priest class ritualistically removed all hair from head to toe by plucking it.

Religious significance

Many Buddhists and Vaisnavas, especially Hare Krishnas, shave their heads. Some Hindu and most Buddhist monks and nuns shave their heads upon entering their order, and Buddhist monks and nuns in Korea have their heads shaved every 15 days.[2] Muslim men have the choice of shaving their heads after performing the Umrah and Hajj, following the tradition of committing to Allah, but are not required to keep it permanently shaved.[3]

As a symbol of subordination

Enslaved peoples

photograph
French women accused of collaborating with the Nazis being paraded through the streets barefoot, shaved, and with hakenkreuzes burned on their faces in 1944

In many cultures throughout history, cutting or shaving the hair on men has been seen as a sign of subordination. In ancient Greece and much of Babylon, long hair was a symbol of economic and social power, while a shaved head was the sign of a slave. This was a way of the slave-owner establishing the slave's body as their property by literally removing a part of their personhood and individuality.[4]

Military

The practice of shaving heads has been widely used in the military. Although sometimes explained as being for hygiene reasons, the image of strict and disciplined conformity is also accepted as a factor.[5] Upon the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, some Allied soldiers shaved their heads to deny any Nazis the opportunity to grab it during hand-to-hand combat. [citation needed] For the new military recruit, it can be a rite of passage, and variations of it have become a badge of honor.[6]

Prison and punishment

Prisoners commonly have their heads shaven to prevent the spread of lice, but it may also be used as a demeaning measure. Having the head shaved can be a punishment prescribed in law.[7] Nazis punished people accused of racial mixing by parading them through the streets with shaved heads and placards around their necks detailing their acts.[8]

During and after World War II, thousands of French women had their heads shaved in front of cheering crowds as punishment for either collaborating with the Nazis or having sexual relationships with Nazi soldiers during the war.[9][10][11] Some Finnish women also had their heads shaved for allegedly having relationships with Soviet prisoners of war during the war.[12]

Practicality

Sport

Hockey player David Perron with a shaved head by choice

Competitive swimmers, sprinters, and joggers sometimes seek to gain an advantage by completely removing all hair from their entire body to reduce drag while competing.

Baldness

People experiencing hair loss may shave their heads in order to look more presentable, for convenience, or to adhere to a certain style or fashion movement. Those with alopecia areata or pattern hair loss often choose to shave their heads, which has become exponentially more common and socially acceptable since the 1990s.[13]

Notable people

Real

Actor Yul Brynner popularized a shaved head in the 1950s

Fictional

In modern fiction, shaved heads are often associated with characters who display a stern and disciplined or hardcore attitude. Examples include characters played by Yul Brynner, Vin Diesel, Samuel L. Jackson, Telly Savalas, Sigourney Weaver, and Bruce Willis, as well as characters such as Agent 47 (whose physical appearance was based on his actor, the aforementioned David Bateson), Mr. Clean, Kratos, Saitama, and Walter White. Baldness is sometimes an important part of these characters' biographies; for example, Saitama wanted to be a superhero and lost all of his hair in exchange for receiving superpowers. Shaved heads are also often associated with villains in fiction,[14] such as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Colonel Kurtz, Lex Luthor, Thanos, Bullseye, portrayed by Colin Farrell, and Alex Macqueen's version of the Master. A notable exception is Daddy Warbucks.

A goatee, usually of the Van Dyke variety, is often worn to complement the look or add sophistication; this look was popularized in the 1990s by professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. For most of the crime drama series Breaking Bad,[15] Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) wore a Van Dyke with a shaved head.[16] In futuristic settings, shaved heads are often associated with bland uniformity, especially in sterile settings such as V for Vendetta and THX 1138.[17] In the 1927 sci-fi film Metropolis, hundreds of extras had their heads shaved to represent the oppressed masses of a future dystopia. It is less common for female characters to have shaved heads, though some actresses have shaved their heads[18] or used bald caps[19] for roles.

Modern subcultures

Skinheads

In the 1960s, some British working-class youths developed the skinhead subculture, whose members were distinguished by short cropped hair (although they did not shave their heads down to the scalp at the time). This look was partly influenced by the Jamaican rude boy style.[20][21] It was not until the skinhead revival in the late 1970s—with the appearance of punk-influenced Oi! skinheads—that many skinheads started shaving their hair right down to the scalp. Head shaving has also appeared in other youth-oriented subcultures such as the hardcore, black metal, metalcore, nu metal, hip hop, techno, and neo-nazi scenes.

Sexuality and gender

A sexual fetish involving head shaving is called haircut fetishism.

While a shaved head on a man is often seen as a sign of authority and virility[citation needed], a shaved head on a woman typically connotes androgyny, especially when combined with traditionally feminine signifiers.

In the BDSM community, shaving a submissive or slave's head is often used to demonstrate powerlessness or submission to the will of a dominant[why?][citation needed].

Fundraising and support

Cancer

Women shaving their heads at the 46 Mommas event, a cancer-related fundraising and awareness program

Baldness is perhaps the most famous side effect of the chemotherapy treatment for cancer, and some people shave their heads before undergoing such treatment or after the hair loss starts to become apparent; some people chose to shave their heads in solidarity with cancer sufferers, especially as part of a fundraising effort.

Covhead-19 Challenge

During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, many countries imposed strict lockdown procedures and actively encouraged members of the public to self-isolate. Many people, particularly men, began to shave their heads during lockdown due to boredom and/or being unable to have their hair cut as barbershops were forced to stay closed.[22] In the UK, a fundraising effort began to support its National Health Service, which suffered from the enormous pressure of the pandemic. The effort was started on Just Giving with a goal of £100,000; it encouraged people to shave their heads whilst also donating money to the NHS and was dubbed the "Covhead-19 Challenge". Various celebrities also took part.[23]

See also

  • Barber – Person who cuts, dresses, grooms, styles and shaves males' hair or beards
  • Baldness – Loss of hair from the head or bodyPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Buzz cut – Variety of very short hairstyle
  • Depilation – Body hair removalPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Hair removal – Body hair removal
  • List of hairstyles
  • Mohawk hairstyle
  • Razor – Device to remove body hair
  • Shaving – Removal of hair with a razor or other bladed implement
  • Skullet – HairstylePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targetsPages displaying short descriptions with no spaces
  • Social role of hair

References

  1. ^ "'Are You Bald By Choice?'". VICE. 2018-10-31. Retrieved 2025-07-14.
  2. ^ Geraldine A. Larkin, First You Shave Your Head, Celestial Arts (2001), ISBN 1-58761-009-4
  3. ^ Naar, Ismaeel (21 August 2018). "Barbers of Mecca and why pilgrims shave their head as Hajj nears its end". Al Arabiya. Dubai, UAE.[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Brooks, Beatrice Allard (1922). "The Babylonian Practice of Marking Slaves". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 42: 80–90. doi:10.2307/593615. ISSN 0003-0279. JSTOR 593615.
  5. ^ Okorocha, Okorie (2016). "Hair and Justice: Sociolegal Significance of Hair in Criminal Justice, Constitutional Law, and Public Policy by Carmen M. Cusack". Journal of Law and Social Deviance. 11: 299.
  6. ^ Winslow, Donna (1999). "Rites of Passage and Group Bonding in the Canadian Airborne". Armed Forces & Society. 25 (3): 429–457. doi:10.1177/0095327X9902500305. ISSN 0095-327X. S2CID 145604240.
  7. ^ "Article 87 ... shall be sentenced to flogging, having his head shaven, and one year of exile ..." Archived 2017-08-26 at the Wayback Machine, The Islamic Penal Code of the Islamic Republic of Iran
  8. ^ Richard J. Evans (2006). The Third Reich in Power. Penguin Books. p. 540. ISBN 978-0-14-100976-6.
  9. ^ "Shaved Heads and Marked Bodies: Representations From Cultures of Trauma" Kristine Stiles, Duke University (1993) Duke.edu
  10. ^ ""An Ugly Carnival", The Guardian". Theguardian.com. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  11. ^ "Shorn Women: Gender and Punishment in Liberation France", ISBN 978-1-85973-584-8
  12. ^ "Ryssän heilat ja pikku-Iivanat" (in Finnish)
  13. ^ "John Travolta proudly debuts bald head on red carpet after years of wearing wigs". Metro News. 27 January 2019.
  14. ^ "Bald Villains: Why Are So Many Bad Guys Bald?". Freebird | The Bald Truth. Retrieved 2024-06-13.
  15. ^ Sources that refer to Breaking Bad being praised as one of the greatest television shows of all time include:
    • Moore, Frazier (18 December 2013). "2013 brought surprises, good and bad, to viewers". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • St. John, Allen (16 September 2013). "Why 'Breaking Bad' Is The Best Show Ever And Why That Matters". Forbes. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • Bianculli, David (23 December 2013). "Great New DVD Box Sets: Blasts From The Past And 'Breaking Bad'". NPR. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • "2013′s 10 Best and Worst TV Shows, From Good 'Breaking Bad' to Bad 'Broke Girls'". Yahoo TV. 19 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • Hickey, Walter (29 September 2013). "Breaking Bad Is The Greatest Show Ever Made". Business Insider. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • Lawson, Richard (13 July 2012). "The Case for 'Breaking Bad' as Television's Best Show". The Wire. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2013.
    • Ryan, Maureen (11 July 2012). "'Breaking Bad': Five Reasons It's One of TV's All-Time Greats". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
  16. ^ Stahl, Jeremy (27 September 2013). "Gateway Episodes: Breaking Bad". Slate.
  17. ^ Lucia Bozzola (2014). "THX 1138". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01.
  18. ^ "22 Actresses Who Shaved Their Heads For a Role". Freebird | The Bald Truth. Retrieved 2024-08-19.
  19. ^ "Christine Taylor - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  20. ^ Old Skool Jim. Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set liner notes. London: Trojan Records. TJETD169.
  21. ^ Marshall, George (1991). Spirit of '69 – A Skinhead Bible. S.T. Publishing.
  22. ^ "Why are so many people shaving their heads?"
  23. ^ "Coronavirus: What is the 'Covhead challenge' and which celebrities have taken part?". The Independent. 30 March 2020. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Head_shaving&oldid=1333423339"