A Thai Buddhist monk shaving the head of a man preparing to also become a Buddhist monk; this is known as tonsure

Head shaving is a form of body modification which involves shaving 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.[1] 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.[2]

Hasidic Jewish men will occasionally shave all of their head except for the sides to emphasize their payot (sidelocks). In certain Hasidic sects, most famously Satmar, married women shave their heads every month before immersion in the mikveh (ritual bath).

When a person in India dies, it is customary for friends and family who are Hindu to shave their heads as a sign of mourning. There are a few different reasons why this tradition exists, but all of them stem from the belief that shaving one's head is a way to show respect for the deceased. One reason why Indians shave their heads after someone dies is that it is seen as a way to symbolically cleanse the soul. Shaving the head is thought to remove any last traces of the deceased person, and it is a way to remove any negative energy that might be lingering. Another reason why Indians shave their heads after someone dies is a way to show support for the bereaved. Shaving one's head is a sign of solidarity, and it shows that the bereaved are not alone in their grief. Finally, shaving one's head is seen as a way to honour the deceased. Shaving one's head is a sign of respect, and it shows that the deceased is no longer with us.

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 swastikas 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.[3]

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.[4] Upon the Allied invasion of Normandy during World War II, many soldiers chose to have their heads completely shaved in order to deny any Nazis the opportunity to grab it if they engaged in hand-to-hand combat. For the new military recruit, it can be a rite of passage, and variations of it have become a badge of honor.[5]

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.[6] Nazis punished people accused of racial mixing by parading them through the streets with shaved heads and placards around their necks detailing their acts.[7]

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.[8][9][10] Some Finnish women also had their heads shaved for allegedly having relationships with Soviet prisoners of war during the war.[11]


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 androgenetic alopecia often choose to shave their heads, which has rapidly become a common choice since the 1990s.[12] It has also become more common for bald men to accessorize with small hoop or stud earrings, a look famously adopted by figures such as basketball player Michael Jordan and professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin upon shaving their heads in the 1990s.[13]

Notable people

Actor Yul Brynner popularized a shaved head in the 1950s...
...as did basketball player Michael Jordan in the 1990s...
...alongside professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.

Real

This list includes only notable people for whom a shaved head is an important and recognizable part of their public image; it is not a list of every celebrity who has shaved their head at some point in their life.

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, such as Ernst Stavro Blofeld, Colonel Kurtz, Lex Luthor, 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 widely popularized in the mid-to-late 1990s by professional wrestler "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. For the majority of the crime drama series Breaking Bad, often regarded as one of the greatest TV series of all time,[76] the aforementioned Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) wore a Van Dyke with a shaved head, contributing to the character's iconic status.[77]

In futuristic settings, shaved heads are often associated with bland uniformity, especially in sterile settings such as V for Vendetta and THX 1138.[78] 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[79] or used bald caps[80] 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.[81][82] 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, a shaved head on a woman typically connotes androgyny, especially when combined with traditionally feminine signifiers. Drag queens have sometimes adopted shaved heads to express a genderqueer image. 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.

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, initially began to shave their heads during lockdown due to boredom and being unable to have their hair cut as barbershops were forced to stay closed.[83] 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.[84]

See also

References

  1. Geraldine A. Larkin, First You Shave Your Head, Celestial Arts (2001), ISBN 1-58761-009-4
  2. Naar, Ismaeel (21 August 2018). "Barbers of Mecca and why pilgrims shave their head as Hajj nears its end". Al Arabiya. Dubai, UAE.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. "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
  7. Richard J. Evans (2006). The Third Reich in Power. Penguin Books. p. 540. ISBN 978-0-14-100976-6.
  8. "Shaved Heads and Marked Bodies: Representations From Cultures of Trauma" Kristine Stiles, Duke University (1993) Duke.edu
  9. ""An Ugly Carnival", The Guardian". Theguardian.com. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
  10. "Shorn Women: Gender and Punishment in Liberation France", ISBN 978-1-85973-584-8
  11. "Ryssän heilat ja pikku-Iivanat" (in Finnish)
  12. "John Travolta proudly debuts bald head on red carpet after years of wearing wigs". Metro News. 27 January 2019.
  13. Benedictus, Leo (2 February 2013). "The 10 rules for bald men". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
  14. "Andre Agassi Wants Dudes to Embrace Being Bald". Yahoo!. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  15. Robinson, Jon (9 September 2008). "The Gamer Interview: Kurt Angle comes clean". ESPN.com. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  16. "Stone Cold Steve Austin reveals the key battle that defined him". NewsComAu. 16 May 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  17. Sandomir, Richard (5 May 1993). "Beyond the Fringe: The Boldly Bald". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  18. Langton, Chris (10 April 2017). "Hitman: 15 Awesome Things You Didn't Know About Agent 47". TheGamer. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  19. Alexander, Sophie; Maloney, Tom; Metcalf, Tom (14 April 2020). "The global economy is crumbling—and Jeff Bezos is $24 billion richer". Fortune. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  20. "Kobe Bryant shaved his head to replicate Michael Jordan because of Adidas". TalkBasket.net. 27 February 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  21. "Men who look better with a shaved head". The Telegraph. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  22. Price, Robert (15 November 2016). "Bald Comic Bill Burr Offers Funny, Inspirational, No-BS Advice to a Balding 19-Year-Old (With Audio Clip)". Hair Loss Daily. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  23. Zinoman, Jason (15 August 2013). "A Comic Quits Quitting". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  24. Kate (20 February 2009). "Did Greasepaint Send Michael Chiklis Bald?". The Belgravia Centre. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  25. Wolmuth, Roger (8 July 1985). "Short, Pudgy and Bald, All Phil Collins Produces Is Hits". PEOPLE.com.
  26. "Common Rates Oprah, Halloween, and Being Produced by Kanye West | Over/Under". YouTube.
  27. Basner, Dave (17 March 2017). "10 Things You Might Not Know about Birthday Boy Billy Corgan". IHeart Radio. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  28. Boucher, Vincent (13 October 2018). "Hollywood's New Power Move: Going "Full Bald"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  29. "See What Chris Daughtry Looked Like with Hair!". Toofab. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  30. Matthews, Stephen (16 September 2017). "Is this why Vin Diesel has sex appeal? Bald men more masculine, says study". NZ Herald. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  31. Lewinski, John Scott (23 October 2015). "4 Guys Who Went Bald Before 30 Tell You Why It Doesn't Matter". Men's Health. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  32. Marriott, Hannah (21 March 2015). "Dolce and Gabbana are unafraid of spats, but baby spat divides fans". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  33. "I'm Bald". YouTube.
  34. "Shaved Tyson heads for Foreman". 9 July 1991.
  35. Richard (6 April 2020). "The Bald Icons: Who is Tyson Fury?". The Bald Brothers. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  36. "Peter Gabriel: What a Difference Two Decades Make". GenesisFan. 28 August 2012. Archived from the original on September 24, 2020. Retrieved 8 June 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  37. "10 Men Who Change The Way We Look At Hair Loss". Theodysseyonline.com. 15 August 2018.
  38. "The hairy reality of balding sportsmen – from Tiger Woods to Gareth Bale". The Telegraph. 22 March 2017.
  39. "When rock stars go bald". NME. 12 March 2009. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  40. Phil Heath on Instagram: “The attack of the bald heads lol. Always fun hanging with these guys. #Repost @hanyrambod ・・・ Hanging with @philheath and @thebranchwarren…”
  41. Berger, Phil (14 April 1991). "BOXING; Holyfield: Looking for Respect". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  42. "CBS Sick Of Paying For Bald LL COOL J's Haircuts: EXCLUSIVE". Naughty Gossip. 14 December 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  43. Lee, Chris (1 July 2016). "Samuel L. Jackson's Hair Is His Best Co-Star". GQ. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  44. Abramovitch, Seth (9 January 2019). "120 Movies, $13 Billion in Box Office: How Samuel L. Jackson Became Hollywood's Most Bankable Star". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  45. Bryant, Kenzie (3 April 2017). "Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Explains Why He's Bald". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  46. Martinez, Jose; Warner, Ralph (7 November 2013). "20 Things You Didn't Know About Magic Johnson". Complex. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  47. Gaines, Cork (17 April 2020). "Michael Jordan once turned down a huge endorsement deal because he didn't like the product's name and another one because he was going bald". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  48. Smith, Zadie (16 February 2015). "Key and Peele's Comedy Partnership". The New Yorker. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  49. Steele, Francesca (19 April 2014). "Ferdinand Kingsley interview: 'Yeah, but mum's dad was totally bald too!'". Spectator. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  50. Gambacorta, David (12 January 2020). "Satan, the FBI, the Mob—and the Forgotten Plot to Kill Ted Kennedy". POLITICO. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  51. "John Malkovich: 'I had a lot of violence growing up, but so what?'". TheGuardian.com. 21 May 2020.
  52. Dator, James (16 May 2016). "Floyd Mayweather, who has no hair, spends up to $3,000 a week on haircuts". SBNation.com.
  53. Meadley, Phil (26 October 2006). "Moby: how rave culture made him lose his hair". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-09. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  54. Schilling, Mary Kaye (11 August 2013). "Dean Norris on the Breaking Bad Premiere, Hank's Machismo, and Bryan Cranston's Overachiever E-mails". Vulture. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  55. Boren, Cindy (4 March 2020). "Shaq has a hilarious hairline after losing a bet to Dwyane Wade". Washington Post. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  56. Oswald, Anjelica (5 February 2019). "John Travolta opened up about embracing his baldness, and says Pitbull convinced him to go for it". Insider. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  57. Bibby, Patricia (10 July 1996). "Ving Rhames Found It Easy To Bulk Up For Role". www.spokesman.com. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  58. Fitzgerald, Trent (21 September 2011). "Flo Rida Goes Bald for His Birthday Party in Miami". PopCrush. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  59. Podcast Page (24 June 2016). "Joe Rogan on being bald". YouTube. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  60. "Rick Ross Shuts Down Rumors That He Wears a Lace-Front Wig". HNHH. 4 April 2018.
  61. ROBERTS, VIDA (26 October 1995). "A Clean Pate Good and bald: It's a sign of the times and maybe a sign of much more as men move beyond hair". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  62. Strongmen Read Mean Comments | World's Strongest Man - YouTube
  63. Parsons, Jim (15 June 2018). "Other Superstars Who Shaved Their Heads Before Baron Corbin". TheSportster. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  64. Q&A || Johnny Sins Vlog #5 || SinsTV, retrieved May 24, 2021
  65. Cave, James (4 April 2016). "Going Bald Was The Best Thing To Happen To These Guys' Heads". HuffPost. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  66. Huynh, Mike (24 July 2019). "Jason Statham Is Showing Bald Men How To Look Stylishly Masculine". DMARGE. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  67. Parker, Ryan (24 March 2017). "Patrick Stewart's Tale of Accepting His Baldness Involves a Physical Altercation with a Judo Master". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  68. Lynskey, Dorian (2 November 2007). "Interview: Michael Stipe". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  69. Rapkin, Mickey (4 August 2015). "Corey Stoll: Shaving My Head Was a Game Changer". ELLE. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  70. Oakeley, Lucas (27 July 2017). "The many hairstyles of Mark Strong". Esquire Middle East. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  71. Shaw, Gabbi (7 August 2019). "11 celebrities who are now rocking the bald look". Insider. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  72. "Andre Agassi Wants Dudes to Embrace Being Bald". Yahoo!. 1 September 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  73. Geller, Sarah (16 July 2013). "The 100 Most Powerful Bald Men in the World". GQ. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  74. Friedman, Michael (27 March 2015). "Thank You, Bruce Willis, For Making Bald Beautiful". HuffPost. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  75. Will (5 March 2020). "The Bald Icons: Who is Zinedine Zidane?". The Bald Brothers. Retrieved 9 June 2020.
  76. Sources that refer to Breaking Bad being praised as one of the greatest television shows of all time include:
  77. Stahl, Jeremy (27 September 2013). "Gateway Episodes: Breaking Bad". Slate.
  78. Lucia Bozzola (2014). "THX 1138". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2014-03-01.
  79. Matt Bagwell, A Bald Move ... From Britney Spears To Karen Gillan: 20 Female Celebs Who Have Shaved Off Their Hair, The Huffington Post, 22 July 2013
  80. "Christine Taylor - Biography - Movies & TV - NYTimes.com". www.nytimes.com. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  81. Old Skool Jim. Trojan Skinhead Reggae Box Set liner notes. London: Trojan Records. TJETD169.
  82. Marshall, George (1991). Spirit of '69 – A Skinhead Bible. S.T. Publishing.
  83. "Why are so many people shaving their heads?"
  84. "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.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.