Shaving the hair from a person's head
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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]
As a symbol of subordination
[
edit
]
Enslaved peoples
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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.
[
citation needed
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Sport
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Actor
Yul Brynner
popularized a shaved head in the 1950s...
Real
[
edit
]
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.
- Andre Agassi
, American tennis player
[14]
- Kurt Angle
, American professional wrestler and Olympian
[15]
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
, American professional wrestler
[16]
- Charles Barkley
, American basketball player
[17]
- David Bateson
, English actor
[18]
- Howie Mandel
, Canadian comedian, television personality, actor, and producer
- Jeff Bezos
, American entrepreneur
[19]
- Christopher Reeve
, American actor, film director, author, and activist
- Kobe Bryant
, American basketball player
[20]
- Yul Brynner
, Russian-American actor
[21]
- Bill Burr
, American comedian
[22]
- Dave Chappelle
, American comedian
[23]
- Michael Chiklis
, American actor
[24]
- Phil Collins
, English musician
[25]
- Common
, American rapper
[26]
- Billy Corgan
, American musician
[27]
- Terry Crews
, American actor
[28]
- Chris Daughtry
, American musician
[29]
- Vin Diesel
, American actor
[30]
- Taye Diggs
, American actor
[31]
- Domenico Dolce
, Italian fashion designer
[32]
- Anthony Fantano
, American music critic
[33]
- George Foreman
, American boxer
[34]
- Tyson Fury
, English boxer
[35]
- Peter Gabriel
, English musician
[36]
- Tyrese Gibson
, American actor
[37]
- Bill Goldberg
, American professional wrestler and former football player.
- Pep Guardiola
, Spanish soccer manager
[38]
- Rob Halford
, English musician
[39]
- Steve Harvey
, American television host and actor
- Phil Heath
, American bodybuilder
[40]
- Evander Holyfield
, American boxer
[41]
- LL Cool J
, American rapper and actor
[42]
- Samuel L. Jackson
, American actor
[43]
[44]
- Dwayne Johnson
, American actor and professional wrestler
[45]
- Magic Johnson
, American basketball player
[46]
- Michael Jordan
, American basketball player
[47]
- Keegan-Michael Key
, American comedian
[48]
- Ben Kingsley
, English actor
[49]
- Anton LaVey
, American author and
Satanic Church
founder
[50]
- Kyle Macy
, American basketball commentator
- John Malkovich
, American actor
[51]
- Floyd Mayweather
, American boxer
[52]
- Moby
, American musician
[53]
- Dean Norris
, American actor
[54]
- Shaquille O'Neal
, American basketball player
[55]
- Pitbull
, American rapper
[56]
- Ving Rhames
, American actor
[57]
- Flo Rida
, American rapper
[58]
- Joe Rogan
, American podcast host
[59]
- Rick Ross
, American rapper
[60]
- Telly Savalas
, American actor
[61]
- Tupac Shakur
, American rapper
- Brian Shaw
, American strongman
[62]
- Big Show
, American professional wrestler
[63]
- Johnny Sins
, American pornographic actor
[64]
- Chris Slade
, Welsh drummer known for his tenure in the rock band
AC/DC
.
- Kelly Slater
, American surfer
[65]
- Jason Statham
, English actor
[66]
- Patrick Stewart
, English actor
[67]
- Michael Stipe
, American musician
[68]
- Corey Stoll
, American actor
[69]
- Mark Strong
, English actor
[70]
- Stanley Tucci
, American actor
[71]
- Dana White
, American entrepreneur and
UFC
president
[72]
- Bruce Willis
, American actor
[73]
- Zinedine Zidane
, French soccer player
[74]
Fictional
[
edit
]
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,
[75]
the aforementioned Walter White (played by
Bryan Cranston
) wore a Van Dyke with a shaved head, contributing to the character's iconic status.
[76]
In futuristic settings, shaved heads are often associated with bland uniformity, especially in sterile settings such as
V for Vendetta
and
THX 1138
.
[77]
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
[78]
or used
bald caps
[79]
for roles.
Modern subcultures
[
edit
]
Skinheads
[
edit
]
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.
[80]
[81]
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
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
Cancer
[
edit
]
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
[
edit
]
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 being unable to have their hair cut as barbershops were forced to stay closed.
[82]
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.
[83]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
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