Why Women Shave Their Heads

In the spring of 2020, in the throes of COVID, I decided to shave my head. It was kind of an impulse really. The more I thought about it the more I wanted to do it. It’s not like I had the option of going out to a hair salon to get a haircut. 

So I got out the dog clippers and cut off my hair. I already had short hair, so it wasn’t that difficult. But having no instructions or a proper electric shaver meant I didn’t do such a great job.

I promptly ordered the electric shaver and got better at shaving my head as time went on.

Now it’s been 3+ years and I still shave my head. Below is a photo I took this morning.

My hair has grown a little bit in this photo, as I shaved it about 7-10 days ago. I tend to shave my head every 2-3 weeks.

“While living in quarantine, women have become obsessed with some unexpected things. For some of us, shaving off all our hair.” – Cosmopolitan

The Advent Of Covid:

COVID was a game-changer in so many ways. We were limited on where we could go. It made many of us feel helpless and afraid. Being housebound was a whole new experience.

Shaving my head gave me back some control in my life. And when I looked at my bald self in the mirror, it made me feel empowered.

When I go out, I don’t really think about it anymore. At first I was a bit self-conscious, but that feeling went away fairly quickly.

There’s a sense of freedom in having a shaved head. I know I never would have done it had COVID not turned the world on its head.

And I know many women are horrified by the thought of shaving their head. And that’s fine. It’s their prerogative.

But it’s just hair. And like fingernails, it grows right back.

“It’s like I am peeling back a layer so that you can see a deeper part of me.”

“We tend to be so attached to our hair as if that’s the only thing that makes us a woman or feminine, and that’s far from the truth,” said the actress and author Samantina Zenon.

It’s not just young women who are shaving their head, it’s older women as well. After years of having to fuss with their hair before they go out, it is a convenience they’ve never known before.

“Being a woman is more than just looking like one. We have so many layers to us, and while some may wear their crown proudly, we also carry a lot of burdens.”

COVID has killed a vast number of people. In 2020, we were wiping down groceries when they were delivered. Because none of us knew how long the virus could live on a surface.

Fear Of The Unknown:

It was the unknown that was so frightening. That and the number of people who have tragically died.

“Life was weighing me down, and I thought my hair could take some of that weight off for a bit.” (New York Times)

Shaving off my hair was a little scary, but once I made up my mind, I was bound and determined to do it.

It takes about 3 minutes to shave my head. And that is a luxury that I love. I no longer have to worry about fixing my hair before going out. I no longer need a hair dryer or a stylist.

Another plus side is that hair can be donated to certain charities for medical wigs. Such as those living with alopecia and other health conditions. 

Social Buzz:

There is also social media buzz on Instagram called #girlswithshavedheads along with several other monikers.

My identity and sense of self-worth does not depend on the hair on my head. I am who I am with or without hair. Walking around in public without hair is a form of self-acceptance.

Shaving my head for the last 3+ years has been a sort of liberation. I don’t have to pay someone at a hair salon and deal with making an appointment every month or so. Having a bald head is, in some ways, a self expression of who I feel I now am.

People don’t blink an eye when they see a man with a bald head, so why seem so astonished when it’s a woman?

It took a bit of courage that first time in March of 2020, but after that it was more self-love. Taking this one chore into my own hands meant I no longer needed to purchase shampoo or conditioner. 

I know there are probably times people see me and automatically think I’m having chemotherapy. For all of the women who have lost their hair because of cancer, I don’t want people to think that that’s the only reason women would have a bald head. I don’t want to take away from their pain and suffering. 

Famous Women Who Shaved Their Heads:

Demi Moore pulled off a shaved head for that movie she was in years ago, and I thought she looked beautiful. I don’t think it detracted from her femininity at all.  

Natalie Portman, Cara Delevingne, Charlize Theron, and Kristen Stewart did it as well. And that’s just to name a few.

I think black women look particularly pretty without hair. Grace Jones is one such woman.

Then Britney Spears shaved her head in 2007, and everyone thought she was having a meltdown. Her tattoo artist claimed that Britney told her that she was tired of people touching her head. “I just don’t want anybody, anybody touching my head. I don’t want anyone touching my hair. I’m sick of people touching my hair.”

Shaving her head did not mean she was mentally ill. But still some put that label on her. And I find that very sad.

Why can’t we look at women with bald heads the same way we look at men? It’s not a vendetta against long hair. Some women just don’t want the hassle. And some just like the way it looks and how it simplifies their lives.

I am one of those women.