# What do you think of women who shave their heads? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 26, 2011, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772 "2011-04-26T14:55:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/21 "2011-04-26T17:19:06Z")
> [@Wheelz](#): > > [Sometimes it can look OK](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_SiaqiAT5FyE/SpgKgrgWBYI/AAAAAAAAE7Q/9FrXvIb9EfE/s400/PersisKhambattaBonanza-25.jpg). 🙂 I don’t think that’s attractive at all, though. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/22 "2011-04-26T17:25:14Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > “I don’t care, it’s her hair” shouldn’t be an option. Of course it’s her hair and she can do whatever she wants with it. But people can still have an opinion about how it looks. 1. It’s the polar opposite of the last option. Some people may legitimately think that no matter what a woman wants to do, shaving her head is a taboo that should NEVER for any reason be violated. 2. It’s multiple choice. Don’t pick it if you don’t like it. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/23 "2011-04-26T17:25:25Z")
I voted _both_ Not all women with shaved heads look beautiful, but they’re still admirable. I don’t care, it’s her hair. because I really like it as a look, but only in women for whom it works, and I’m indifferent to dismissive of the others, but this wasn’t an option. So Sinead O’Connor, Natalie Portman, Cate Blanchett, Samantha Morton, Robin Tunney, some of my RL friends, a couple pornstars I’ve seen (one’s\* nomme du porn\* is Sinead, Belladonna did it, another was Veronica Vanoza for a bit), it works. Others, not so much. Demi Moore, for ex. Sigourney Weaver. Bai Ling. ---
**Author:** ![brainstall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@brainstall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brainstall)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/24 "2011-04-26T17:43:14Z")
I shaved my head about 20 yrs ago, when I was 25 or so. I did it because my friends did. No noble cause to support, no particular statement to make, just was something interesting to do. I was in school at the time and soon to graduate, so I figured this was my last chance to do something crazy with my hair before having to look ‘normal’ to get a job. It was fun. I got a lot of attention at parties. My mother, on the other hand was mortified and refused to look at me. To her, a woman with a shaved head was either a skinhead or a WWII German whore. She was upset about what people in her apartment building would think. My gran never said anything about it until years later when she quietly asked me not to do that again. ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/25 "2011-04-26T17:51:17Z")
On some women it looks good; on others it doesn’t. Like any other ‘hairstyle’. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/26 "2011-04-26T18:00:26Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > On some women it looks good; on others it doesn’t. Like any other ‘hairstyle’. x 2 Depends greatly on the head shape and neck line. If that combination could be confused for an NFL offensive lineman - not so good… ---
**Author:** ![Khaki\_Campbell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Khaki\_Campbell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khaki_Campbell)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/27 "2011-04-26T18:20:24Z")
Yes, it depends. [Yummy](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/444/chelsea1j.jpg) [Yucky](http://www.eurocriticsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/skin-of-skunk-anansie-live.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/28 "2011-04-26T18:23:14Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > On some women it looks good; on others it doesn’t. Like any other ‘hairstyle’. Exactly. Tyra sometimes gives a model a shaved head on Makeover Day on America’s Next Top Model. [Nnenna](http://antm411.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/nnenna-agba-for-malin-enberg-photography/) was gorgeous. But another model she gave it to (Brandy? Brenda? I forget) turned out to have a really weird flatheaded skull - like she’d been left lying in her crib too long as an infant. It was really unfortunate. ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/29 "2011-04-26T18:45:45Z")
I guess we’re mostly talking about white women here? Because, at least in my experience, it is not completely out of the norm for black women to shave close, and they often look good with that cut. Depends on the shape of her skull - some people have some mighty odd lumps. And just in the interest of fighting ignorance and all that, most (nonracist/traditional) skinhead girls don’t actually shave their whole heads. They generally cut it close (but not down to the skin or stubble) around the top and keep it longer all around. The short part might be cut with clippers and a guard or it might just be trimmed close. It’s called a fringe, a chelsea, or a feathercut. [Example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/destinytakesphotos/4361871174/) [example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/staprestandpaisleyshirts/4301146085/) [example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/30507733@N03/3990722945/) [example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/gimmeapabst/5390510734/). Anyway, if you see a gal with a head that’s shaved all around - like Sinead O’Connor style - she’s probably not a skinhead. Occasionally some new skinhead girl will shave and just leave bangs on the front, but, well, I’m pretty sure the other girls make fun of that look. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/30 "2011-04-26T18:52:18Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > It’s called a fringe, a chelsea, or a feathercut. [Example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/destinytakesphotos/4361871174/) [example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/staprestandpaisleyshirts/4301146085/) [example](http://www.flickr.com/photos/30507733@N03/3990722945/) I had no idea I’d be looking at pictures of Hassidic Jews in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/31 "2011-04-26T18:59:39Z")
It does nothing for me personally, but it’s their hair. I don’t see what would make it “admirable,” though. It’s just a fashion choice. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/32 "2011-04-26T19:15:34Z")
Other than Michael Jordan and a few others, anybody who shaves their head is a tool or a fool. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/33 "2011-04-26T19:20:47Z")
A lot of guys who do it, do it because they’re going bald anyway, and they think that shaving their heads completely looks better than a horseshoe. You can still see the horseshoe anyway when the stubble comes in, though. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/34 "2011-04-26T19:23:12Z")
It’s still my best look. A stubble horseshoe is better than a long horseshoe. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/35 "2011-04-26T19:32:14Z")
Aisha Hinds keeps her had pretty well shaved. [She looks pretty good.](http://images.zap2it.com/images/celeb-314173/aisha-hinds-0.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Al\_Bundy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e79b87/32.png) [@Al\_Bundy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Al_Bundy)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/36 "2011-04-26T20:14:14Z")
I think it can look great, especially on younger women who are in shape. Perhaps it’s that desire to relate to/with an alien. ---
**Author:** ![Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8edcca/32.png) [@Superfluous\_Parentheses](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superfluous_Parentheses)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/37 "2011-04-26T20:52:21Z")
Some women look _great_ with shaved/very short hair. Go for it if it works for you. I don’t consider them any more “admirable” than men with long hair, or whatever. Do what you want. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/38 "2011-04-26T21:02:30Z")
It’s always admirable to be able to go against the crowd, as long as it’s something you like.\* That’s why I said it’s admirable. Not because I actually have ever seen it look better than the right hair style. And, yes, on some women, it looks pretty bad. I used to be big on long hair being better than short, but that was 80s and 90s style short. The current style of short hair looks pretty cool. I’ve even known it to make a woman more attractive. It shows off her face. \*I place cancer patients who choose not to wear wigs in this category. Maybe they’d rather have real hair, but they prefer it to their current options. Plus, it’s just admirable not to try and hide what you see as an imperfection because society tells you to. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/39 "2011-04-26T21:09:28Z")
> [@Khaki\_Campbell](#): > > Yes, it depends. > > [Yummy](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/444/chelsea1j.jpg) But her head isn’t shaved. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2011, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772/40 "2011-04-26T21:12:39Z")
Some women look beautiful without their hair. Take Natalie Portman, whose face is her best feature. Some women look awful with shaved heads. Take Britney Spears, whose sexiness comes from her figure rather than her face, and who also has the disadvantage of being a nutjob. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-think-of-women-who-shave-their-heads/579772.md?page=3)