How do you feel about a woman with a shaved head, what is your reaction to it?

Question

I'm doing research for an art project and would like to get some feed back on how people react to women with very short hair. what is the first thing you feel and think, what thoughts do you have about it, be it religious, gender, stereotyping, personal or preferance would be a great help to me.
I have my own conclusions and just want to see if my experinces are true reflections of what people think within a safe environment to devulge what they really think...cheers from London....

Answer 1

When I was 22 I went through this thing were I wanted people to see me for who I was and not what I looked like. I had long hair to my butt. I shaved it down to just scuzz. I also pierced my nose and got a nice dragon tattoo on my leg. People treated me different but it was exactly what I wanted. The people that came into my life came in for the right reasons. I can't tell you how many people thought I was just growing my hair back after fighting an illness. When I see women with scuzz on their heads or completely bald I give them a second look. I think you can tell who has just recovered from illness and who is just making a statement. You really SEE the person's face and features. You can truly feel them by looking into their eyes. They're not hiding. If you don't look twice then you missed the point. Good luck with your project.
Love & Light
Sharon
One Planet = One People

Answer 2

I'm female. I've had long experiences in both i.e. in very long hair and short hair. When it was long hair, I've have had a lot of compliments;although it was hard to maintain. And in all my pictures, Iooked so good with long hair. It's versatile and stylable in different ways.It's a seductive and very feminine look. When it was short, it was more practical and easier to maintain and makes one long younger. It also gives a more sophisticated look. Most if not all men prefer long haired women. Now with bald heads, that's a very tough decision to make. I would never go bald. Baldness is masculine, It can make the woman self conscious and insecure. Esp in my case, as I regard my hair as my crown of glory. I t's a question of vanity, I guess. Plus, it gives one the feeling of being naked and bare. Conversely, as many as women say, that bald men are sexy, I don't particularly care for the shaved dome. You could see the shape of the head and every imperfections on the scalp. No, for the aesthetic and artistic aspects, I don't find me sexy and feminine at well. And certainly not for an art project.You don't see bald headed models being used as subjects for painting;neither in rennaisance periods,ever or even now.

Answer 3

When I see a lady with short hair, a few things go through my mind. It depends on the cut. If she is bald, I have to wonder if she had cancer or something. If she had certain types of short hair, I would have to wonder is she is a lesbian. I know, stereotypes are terrible, but I just have to wonder. But certain styles of women's short hair I would love to have! I think some women look great with short hair, and why shouldn't they get to experience less hair to wash in the shower??? Depending on the cut and the face, the short hair can really make a woman even more beautiful. You can really see the structure of their face. I hope I helped.

Answer 4

Personally, my first reaction would be to wonder if the person had hair loss due to cancer treatment or other disease treatments. Besides that I would take a look at the other aspects of the person. Do they have a lot of peircings, tattoos, strange clothing, or other trademarks of someone who I might think would choose to shave their head? Also, I have noticed many black women who have very, very, short hair. I don't think I am racist at all, but I realize that different types of hair require different care and styles.

I personally have very long hair, but if my hair were thinner or curly, or different in someway I might not want that style at all.

Good luck with your research.

Answer 5

My first thought would be that the woman is very confidant in herself and doesn't give a darn towards the current "fashion" trends. My next thoughts would be how she actually looked with the shaved head. In my opinion, people have to have a certain skull shape to balance the lack of hair. I wouldn't think anything of her religion or sexual preferance. But I would assume, based on the clothing that she was wearing too, that she liked a bit of punk lifestyle.

Answer 6

Given the shaved head was a matter of choice, the first things that came to my mind were 1-confident, 2-efficient--women spend entirely too much time on their hair (and some men for that matter), 3-strong willed (in a good way, hopefully).

Answer 7

i think that 'style' has little to do with 'beauty'.

It all depends what the woman is trying to project with this style, and depends on the attitude. A woman can certainly be beautiful with a shaved head. However- since it's out of the mainstream- people will subconscously be looking for the reason for the shaved head.

some might think "dike/gay" others might think "radical" or "neo nazi"- it all depends on how else the woman is portraying themselves. It can also come across as revealing and clean - if desired.

Answer 8

That depends on the female. If it's someone that bald doesn't really look great on then the first thing that comes to mind is that she has cancer.
I'm not sure what you mean by short hair though. Personally, my hair's about an inch long- does mine qualify? I don't really think anything about other girls with short hair- it'a normal for me so why not for them? good luck on your project.

Answer 9

I think it can be absolutely glorious, the height of individuality and sex appeal. Depends on the bone structure. There was a model that did it, Jodie Kidd maybe, who was about as awesome as it was possible to look when she shaved her hair. It looks bad on women with round, undefined faces, and really bad on big boned women. I didn't like the way demi looked on GI Jane, but then, I don't like the way she looks... ever.

Answer 10

Whassa matter, Sinead O'Connor get to ya, did she? Awww! Po' baby! Personally, I think it's a bit silly of her, but it's not a topic worthy of a great deal of stress.

Have you thought about this? People undergoing chemotherapy and radiotherapy for cancer quite often lose their hair whilst undergoing that therapy. Should they cringe and hide in corners with their bare heads to avoid offending you 'cause they look different? I think not! I suggest you turn your attention to getting rid of George Bush's lapdog Tony Blair. Now there's a topic worthy of your efforts...