Dear Women, Please Shave Your Head

Trust me on this.

This piece is dedicated to all of those who asked or didn’t dare to ask, why I shaved my head at 16 — and kept it as such for almost 2 years.

Happy me, three months after shaving all my hair off. Picture by Evan Boulogne.

I’ve been told I was overthinking it. It’s only hair, after all.

But it’s hair that, because it grows on our heads, has been conferred a special status.

And that meaning we carry on our heads is so heavy that shaving it all off is a true liberation.

Before the razor

“Why would you cut them, you’re beautiful with long hair!”

“But you’re going to look so masculine, so sick, so unprofessional…”

“What if it doesn’t suit you?”

Here are some of the comments I got when I first told my family and friends about my “little trim” project. They revealed deeply-rooted stereotypes of how women ought to be: pretty, neat, and quiet. Don’t be too bold (bald) or it could harm you.

My experience proved them wrong.

Here’s what shaving your head as a woman can do:

#1: It’s a nice (maybe a bit over-the-top, but well) way to symbolize a turning point in your life.