# Women: Would Cutting Your Hair Be A Punishment To You **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 28, 2011, 8:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229 "2011-03-28T08:52:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/21 "2011-03-28T19:23:09Z")
I can’t believe how many folks cut their kids’ hair as punishment.☹ > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > She shouldn’t have used clippers unless she had asked if you wanted them. She goofed and she knew it, and you should have spoken to the manager. Meh, she felt plenty guilty and I’d say we both learned a lesson. Getting some poor girl censured or fired from her shitty mall job wouldn’t have put the hair back on my head. It does gall me that I _paid_ to get my head shorn though.😛 ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/22 "2011-03-28T19:25:04Z")
> [@kambuckta](#): > > **Markxxx** , please, turn off the telly. Y’know, **Prisoner** was sort of, once-upon-a-time cutting-edge **soap** (please excuse the contradiction in terms etc 😃 ), but that was over 30 years ago now, and even I’M embarrassed to know what you’re talking about. > > You’ve become obsessed with it mate. **Doreen** would be chuffed, and **Frankie** would prolly punch yer’ lights out. 😃 > > Fuck off and get a life!! > > 😛 Obviously you Aussies don’t appreciate the magnitude of the show your culture has produced. Oh well I’ll just go listen to Darren Hayes 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/23 "2011-03-28T19:32:51Z")
> [@Chopper9760](#): > > I can’t believe how many folks cut their kids’ hair as punishment.☹ I realized I never really thought it was unusual until now. It wouldn’t even be in my list of “Top 10” worst punishments my family came up with. I still keep my hair pretty long, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/24 "2011-03-28T19:51:34Z")
I have long, thick hair, and it would bother me a whole lot if someone whacked it off. Partly because it would take years to get the length back, and partly because for me long hair is so easy to manage; if I had short hair and had to style it every day, it would piss me off to no end. In prison, though, assuming I expected to be there for a long time, I’d prefer to just cut it really short and be done with it. I don’t need to be pretty in prison. ---
**Author:** ![pohjonen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pohjonen/32/423_2.png) [@pohjonen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pohjonen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/25 "2011-03-28T20:03:14Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > ..I was thinking of starting a related thread about what would be worse/more defeminizing for women, losing one’s breasts or losing one’s hair. For me, it would be the latter. Yeah, there are wigs but I wouldn’t feel like _me._ I don’t want to put someone else’s hair on my head. I want my hair. I’d be sad at losing my breasts but my hair is just such a huge part of what makes me me. Agreed. Once as I awaited the results of a breast biopsy I was much more distressed by the prospect of losing my hair via chemo than losing a breast or two to mastectomy. Luckily, it turned out to be neither. A couple of years ago I had to have a partial parotidectomy and the doc wanted to shave some of my hair off to keep the scar off of my neck, but I wouldn’t let him. I took the neck scar, thanks anyway. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/26 "2011-03-28T21:30:14Z")
Prisoner! Ah, my companion through childhood insomnia. Are you on the Vinegar Tits or the Freak era? Anyway, yes, it would be a huge, deal for me i someone forcibly cut my hair. In a prison it might actually be worse, since you have so little else that you’re supposed to have control over. You’d be reminded of it every time you glimpsed yourself in a mirror and everyone else would be constantly aware that your status was low. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/27 "2011-03-29T00:14:07Z")
… wrong thread oops ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/28 "2011-03-29T00:18:25Z")
Yes, it would be a punishment, for the humiliation and helplessness factor. I would definitely prefer it to a cat o’ nine tails but I think the point (in many contexts) is that someone can do anything they want to you. To use an extreme example, people had their heads shaved when they were put in the death camps. It can be used as a way to strip people of their identity. I read a horrible news article once about a rape-torture where the guy cut off all the woman’s hair, specifically to increase the humiliation as he raped her. So yeah, I think it can send a pretty powerful message. ---
**Author:** ![ZPG\_Zealot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e47c2d/32.png) [@ZPG\_Zealot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZPG_Zealot)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/29 "2011-03-29T01:50:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > It’s not the scissors, it’s the humiliation. Whenever you take something that normal a person has control over and take that control away, it’s a punishment. Normally, we control how our hair looks. I just got a pretty drastic haircut (and inadvertently discovered I have curly hair! :eek: ), and I’m pretty happy with it. But if someone had done it forcibly, I would have been very, very upset. > > Didn’t we have some trainwrecky goodness a couple of years back because a poster’s friend cut off another friend’s braid in a bar squabble? This. I wear a head scarf or a wig 90% of the time, so no one outside of a few family members even know what my hair looks like or would be able to tell if such a punishment was carried out on me. However, the loss of control, not being able to decide what was happening to my own body, would be very much an upsetting punishment. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/30 "2011-03-29T01:57:31Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > It wouldn’t even be in my list of “Top 10” worst punishments my family came up with. I’m almost afraid to ask. Did you find & play with a Hell-Raiser Cube or something…? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8c91f0/32.png) [@Bam\_Boo\_Gut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bam_Boo_Gut)\ **Post date:** [March 29, 2011, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/31 "2011-03-29T05:58:15Z")
Nope. People admire my long hair, but I’ve had it short before and it wouldn’t bother me to have it short again. I wouldn’t feel upset, I quite like it short. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/32 "2011-03-30T03:41:12Z")
Horrible. My hair is about shoulder-length now, and if someone cut it that short, I’d be devastated. The shortest I’ve had it in recent years is chin-length, but in a crew-cut, I’m assuming? I’d be sobbing for days. I’m extremely vain about my hair. It’s hard enough to style as it is. (Baby-fine and poker-straight, I generally have to use a curling iron and foam curlers on it to give it body. Too short and it would look ridiculous) ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/33 "2011-03-30T04:03:46Z")
> [@SciFiSam](#): > > Prisoner! Ah, my companion through childhood insomnia. Are you on the Vinegar Tits or the Freak era? > > Anyway, yes, it would be a huge, deal for me i someone forcibly cut my hair. In a prison it might actually be worse, since you have so little else that you’re supposed to have control over. > > You’d be reminded of it every time you glimpsed yourself in a mirror and everyone else would be constantly aware that your status was low. I like both Joan “The Freak” and Vera “Vinegar Tits” I guess it is a big deal. I just watch the show and you have to take a lot of it with a grain of salt but when I see a woman get her hair cut as punishment I keep thinking, it’d be better than getting bashed. From _Prisoner_: [Myra, Judy & Co go after Angel](http://img850.imageshack.us/img850/3933/pcbh1.jpg) And [the aftermath](http://img830.imageshack.us/img830/2333/pcbh2.jpg) [too funny] [Joan goes after Lexie](http://img843.imageshack.us/img843/8660/pcbh3.jpg) [Not a fun thing](http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/9136/pcbh4.jpg) Margo, Bev and Lil [carrying out Queen Bea’s orders on Sharon](http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/9480/pcbh5.jpg) [Chrissie gets threatened](http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/9588/pbch7.jpg) [Chrissie get’s scalped](http://img837.imageshack.us/img837/2837/pcbh8.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![turtledove\_river](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e79b87/32.png) [@turtledove\_river](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/turtledove_river)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/34 "2011-03-30T04:45:23Z")
Well, if they’re going to make my scalp bleed, of course it would be horrible. But in any other circumstance, no, I like my hair short. ---
**Author:** ![anya\_marie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ebca7d/32.png) [@anya\_marie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anya_marie)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/35 "2011-03-30T04:49:33Z")
I think this would make me stabby and i have considered getting a short haircut as recently as last month. ---
**Author:** ![Mississippienne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d2c977/32.png) [@Mississippienne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mississippienne)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/36 "2011-03-30T05:46:42Z")
I have ‘hair issues’ – lifelong struggle with trichotillomania, pulled myself bald at the age of four and finally, slowly, agonizingly, managed to control it well enough that at age 26 I have a perfectly serviceable head of hair. My hair is not just hair to me. It’s not just stuff. It’s a hard won prize, something I struggled for years to have, the visible, defiant proof that I am stronger than my disorder. I would be HORRIFIED if someone were to lop my hair off. Absolutely horrified. If you ever want a good punch in the face, come at me with a pair of scissors and lop some of my hair off. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/37 "2011-03-30T13:53:47Z")
> [@Count\_Blucher](#): > > I’m almost afraid to ask. Did you find & play with a Hell-Raiser Cube or something…? :eek: Heh. I’ve had a lot of threads around here so I won’t hijack the thread, and I’ll say it was by no means the worst it could be, or even as bad as other people on this board; most of it was emotional and not physical. Arguably just as hard to recover from, though. > [@Bam Boo Gut](#): > > Nope. People admire my long hair, but I’ve had it short before and it wouldn’t bother me to have it short again. I wouldn’t feel upset, I quite like it short. But this is not “you go to the store and get it cut voluntarily”. This is “someone in a position of power holds you down and forcibly cuts it, or tricks you by lopping off a huge hunk so you HAVE to cut it”. It’s not the short hair; it’s the loss of power. ---
**Author:** ![gallows\_fodder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8c91f0/32.png) [@gallows\_fodder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gallows_fodder)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/38 "2011-03-30T14:09:02Z")
That’s exactly it. When you choose to cut your hair short, you’ve (I presume) thought about it for a bit, looked at pictures of the haircut you want, and most importantly, made the decision to do it. All of that is entirely within your control. Having someone alter your appearance drastically, usually for the worse (because you’re not going to get a cute pixie cut, it’s going to be hacked or buzzed off), without your prior knowledge or consent, in such a way that will take months if not years to recover, is a completely different situation. Now, after all that, if you feel like, “Eh, it’s just hair – it’s not like they branded me,” that’s fine, but this is not analogous to choosing to get a haircut. ---
**Author:** ![Dogzilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e480ec/32.png) [@Dogzilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogzilla)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/39 "2011-03-30T15:58:56Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > I was thinking of starting a related thread about what would be worse/more defeminizing for women, losing one’s breasts or losing one’s hair. For me, it would be the latter. Yeah, there are wigs but I wouldn’t feel like _me._ I don’t want to put someone else’s hair on my head. I want my hair. I’d be sad at losing my breasts but my hair is just such a huge part of what makes me me. Have you started that thread? I had an interesting experience lately that relates to that idea. Last December, I had surgery to remove a microcalcification from my boob. (It turned out benign and they got it all, so I’m in the clear. So far.) I am a very tiny person and have never had bigger than an A cup boobs. So I didn’t think I’d ever really identified my sexuality with my breasts. Imagine my shock and surprise when I finally took the bandages off and saw my poor boob, all bruised and marked up with a big-ass scar above the nipple. Now that the swelling has gone down, I’ve noticed a flat spot a couple inches above the nipple – apparently they took out such a huge chunk proportional to how small my boobs are, that I can tell that my boob is damaged from the surgery. It’s not as full as it was before. It’s all scarred up now. I was so surprised and shocked at how much that actually upsets me. I truly had no idea. I thought I’d be a good candidate for a mastectomy because the idea of lopping off my boobs completely didn’t bother me. Now it does. Horribly. Contrast that with the number of times I’ve shaved bits of my head hair off, dyed it funky colors… Hell I’ve even gotten bangs just to do a Sarah Palin Halloween costume. Now that’s dedication to your Halloween costume, to invest in bangs! Even if the control over the choice was removed, I still think I would be more upset by losing my boobs than having someone shave my hair. The most upsetting bit, of course, would be losing control over my choices. But I was as surprised as anyone to discover that I’m much more affectionately attached to my tits than I thought I was. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 30, 2011, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229/40 "2011-03-30T20:17:41Z")
Well, I definitely think I’d be more upset at losing a breast – because, hair does grow back, and breasts don’t. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be upset if someone lopped off my hair. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-cutting-your-hair-be-a-punishment-to-you/576229.md?page=3)