I realise that in quoting you in the preface to my comment it led to what appeared to be a personal attack on you. I apologise for doing that and for any hurt that I caused you.
I am fan of websites which are dedicated to the bald look on women. However, my enjoyment is strictly limited to those circumstances where women have voluntarily chosen to shave their heads, perhaps for fashion or career reasons. The situation where actresses have shaved their heads to play holocaust or cancer victims is tricky. Should one "enjoy" such photographs? Personally, I can't enjoy photographs of the actresses whilst they are "in character ".
I realise that your comments referred to the actresses being "out of character" and I should not have been so hasty to make a negative critical comment. I also look forward to seeing photographs of these actresses should they choose to be seen with the bald look in their "out of character" and social lives. I would even like to see (unlikely as it is) that they should choose to remain bald long after their roles have called for the need.
In my opinion, Milena Toscano’s beautiful long hair accentuated the beauty of her face and body.
The bald look is appropriate for the movie, but I do wonder how the actresses dealt with their lockless heads in their private moments (i.e their response to themselves), and when they were socialising with the non-film community off set.
Personally, having my head shaved would be traumatic – not something I would do through choice. If I was an actress, I would insist on a latex bald cap, however fake-looking, or not do the movie.
This is not because my hair is a “security blanket” – anymore than my right arm is my security blanket. It’s just a part of my body that I do not want to be divested of, and seeing these bald women (smiling or not) sends shivers down my spine.
The reason heads were shaved in concentration camps and are shaved or cut short in the military (and in certain cultures as a punishment for adulteresses and female prostitutes) is another subject for another thread. However, to me it denotes the removal of individuality, identity, sexuality and personal power among other negatives. If it were a positive then it wouldn’t be used to such devastating effect.
Just my take on things. Each to their own.
Uzi
BaldJasmine
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: July 19 2003
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Points: 269
Uzma, you are an educated woman. We have chatted before.
I'm sure you know their are many different cultures around the world Uzma, and women with very short hair or shaved bald heads mean different things in different cultures.
I'm an African-American woman as you know. Women in Africa have been shaving their heads for centuries. Some Black women (and sometimes other races of women) shave their heads bald in the United States too. When I was wearing a shaved head I felt very much an individual, and a liberated woman, hardly oppressed, and some men found it sexy. I still wear my hair very short as we have discussed. Maybe having a shaved head or a very short haircut seems absolutely dreadful to you Uzma but don't assume other women feel that way. I find it ridiculous that some women of African heritage spend so much time and money on having their hair relaxed and straightened and then try and grow it long like some Asian or Caucasion women do, to me that is oppressive. I could say it is just as oppresive for women, of any race, to grow their hair long.
You must admit, it is so much easier to care for a short crop.
But I don't assume that women with long hair are being oppressed. So please don't assume that us women with very short hair or bald women are being oppressed. As long as it is our choice lady, no one should assume that we are victims of any sort.
Sorry about the little sermon Uzma but you must know by now how us women with short hair are on this topic !
I should add too, that I don't like the concentration camp bald look on women. I like the more fashionable bald look where a woman chooses to be bald and makes herself look nice with makeup and earrings and all of that. I certainly am not in any way for any kind of oppression of women or anyone else! Just had to make that clear to you.
.
uzma
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Senior Member
Joined: August 27 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1057
I agree that a shaved head has culture-dependent meanings (which is why I mentioned the eastern practices of punishing women by removing their hair in cases of adultery or prostitution).
Oppression is dependent on the social, political and cultural context and on whether the “style” is inflicted or chosen.
In the U.K, I have seen racist skinheads, victims of the nazi camps, the military and two female popstars (Skin from Skunk Anasi and Sinead O’Connor) with shaved heads.
In the Middle East and Asia – where long hair is the traditional norm, the shaving of womens heads is typically used as punishment.
I am an eastern woman living in the western world, so my cultural metaphors and experiences are different to yours in some ways.
I do have first generation African friends (those who have recently come to the U.K) who inform me that female hairstyles in Benin, Ghana and among the Masai are traditionally used to signify girl or womanhood, sexual availability and status. Funny that now these women are in Britain, they are quickly shedding their traditional (imposed) styles and getting busy with growing their hair and putting in weaves, extensions etc. Very few of these women opt to keep their shaved heads or crops. Free choice or cultural conformism? Perhaps that’s something for the African American hair board to discuss.
Must I admit that a short crop is easier to care for? Well, about 4 years ago I had one inch long hair which I had to get cut every 3 weeks, used gels, waxes every day, had to wash it every day due to that gunk and basically spent a lot of time and money to make sure it looked right. I actually find that the longer my hair gets, the easier/cheaper/quicker it is to look after. I haven’t had a haircut in over a year, only wash it every 4-5 days and don’t spend any money on styling products. I admit I am buying more expensive better quality products to care for my locks, though. But hey, that’s just my experience.
I am curious about one thing. I have heard quite a few protagonists of the bald/cropped/v.short pixie look on females emphasise the use of make-up and jewellery with these styles, as opposed to a bare faced and unadorned look. Why is this? Is it a particular fashion or is it the expression of a need to visually differentiate the femaleness of the wearer? I only suggest this as the most numerous owners of bald heads are middle-aged men. Yes, I know that a woman’s body and facial features should be sufficient to identify her as a woman, but I really do wonder at the need for additional decoration…….perhaps you can enlighten me?
aybe having a shaved head or a very short haircut seems absolutely dreadful to you Uzma but don't assume other women feel that way.
I made no such assumption. As I said, I speak only for myself – each to their own.
Uzi
BaldJasmine
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Member
Joined: July 19 2003
Location: Chicago
Status: Offline
Points: 269
lol! You defend your case well Uzma. You really do love your long hair don't you girl!
Uzma, I bet I spend less on hair products than you do. I wear my hair in a very short afro crop, cut pretty close to the scalp. I don't need to brush or comb my hair, I use no type of hair cream or gels, I'm completely natural. I just shampoo my hair when I am taking a shower. That's it girl! That is all I do. I do go every 4-6 weeks to the salon to have my 'do trimmed but I enjoy that, it is a social time for me, a chance to be with the ladies a little. As far as the women of African descent who live in the U.K., well I've never been to the Britian, but I would assume they are trying to fit into the dominant western culture there. So of course they are less likely to wear African clothes, or speak African languages, or wear their hair as they did in Africa. That doesn't surprise me any. So they go for the wigs, weaves and try and grow their hair, maybe have it relaxed too.
Now Uzma, you said they "had" to wear their hair short or in African styles in Africa. They were obligated to wear their hair that way. Well couldn't the same be said of Middle Eastern women in the middle East Uzma, that they traditionally wore their hair a little longer, they were expected to wear their hair long? They didn't exactly wear pixies I'm sure. It's funny though. Sometimes when you meet Asian or Arab- Christian woman in the States, it's incredible how often they reject the long hair of their tradition and wear short bobs and pixies and other short styles. There are even jokes made about all of the Chinese women in America who wear short bobs, it's like their helmet or hat, the cute Asian lady with the short bob haircut! lol! Most of the Asian women seem to wear short styles like that, or at least many of them. So it isn't just African women that change their hairstyle to fit into a different culture.
You asked about makeup and jewelry with short hair. I would wear makeup and earrings even if I had long hair down to my beautiful Black bottom. lol! I just like to wear makeup and earrings Uzma. To me it is feminine and it makes a woman look good, regardless of her hair length. Both you and I are city girls Uzma, me Chicago, you London. But we seem to be quite different in some ways, and I don't just mean hair length differences. You seem to me to be an earth woman Uzma, a nature girl. Or at least you would like to be one. You wrote you don't wear makeup, you love to go out into the country, a big metro city like London seems oppressive to you, you compared it to people living in a jail. I'm just the opposite Uzma. I love metropolitan life. I would go stir crazy girl out in the sticks! I want to live in a decent part of the metro (which I do) of course, but I love all of the diversity of people, all of the great variety of culture, the energy of the city. I'm a city girl. And I like my makeup and earrings and jewelry and sexy dresses and sometimes I wear heels and the whole urban woman thang, you know what I mean! I'm just not a nature girl, although I am a strong believer in protecting the environment and shifting to alternative cars and energy of course, all of that. I am politically progressive. So that's why I like my makeup and jewelry Uzma. Hair length has nothin to do with it. It's funny Uzma. For centuries up until the 1960s liberation movements, Black women in America either got their hair relaxed and tried to grow it long like White women, or they would wear wigs or headscarves over their naturally nappy short hair. They were so ashamed to look African. But since the 1960s us Black women have been able to wear our hair any way we want. And since I'm middle 30ish that means my whole life. Many African-American women still get their hair relaxed and grow it a little longer or wear short relaxed styles. Many Black women wear wigs or braids or weaves or headscarves too. Some wear short cornrows and many still wear the short afros that first became popular in the 1960s-1970s. Even the occasional shaved head on a Black lady.
We can, and do, wear our hair however we like.
Finally, free at last, to paraphrase Dr. Martin Luther King. But really I am free in my head, I'm an individual, I do what I like. I'm also lucky. I got an education and got out of the inner city southside Chicago ghetto.
Whew I've written a lot on these boards today. I have to take a break Uzma and spend time with my kids before bedtime. Thanks for the conversation Uzma. God bless our differences!
Both the United States and the United Kingdom are western countries but there is some differences. One of those differences of course is the geographic size of our countries. The other is the size of the populations. The U.S. has nearly 300 million people, the U.K. about 60 million. Because of the huge population of the U.S., each racial group is larger here and has entire areas of cities, or even of the country, that are populated mainly by one racial group, therefore allowing a bit more "ethnic culture" as it were, or at least much larger ethnic cultures. Case in point:- The Black community in each country. According to the British government about 1 million Black folks live in the U.K.. In the United States it is at least 35 million. Also while many parts of the U.S. are racially integrated even more parts are segregated. In the U.K. there are very few large areas that are entirely Black, most Blacks there live more or less integrated with Whites, except for very few areas(even Brixton in London has some Whites) That is not the case in the U.S.. There are numerous mostly or entirely Black areas just as there are similar White areas. As a result of this, Black culture in the U.S., in both good and bad ways, has developed differently than the Black culture in the U.K.. It is not unusual in some Black areas of America to see many Black women with short afros, shaved heads, African braids,etc.. In these areas there is simply less contact with Whites or other races than there would be in the U.K.. Likewise the politics are different. There are many Blacks in mainstream American politics but also in Black areas of the U.S., so-called "Black politics" have developed in a way that just doesn't exist in places like the U.K. or Canada, (Jasmine and I have discussed this along with other political and social issues so she knows exactly what I mean) .
America simply is much larger, with each racial group being larger than places like the U.K. or Canada, our linguistic friends and Allies. So of course Jasmine might have a different view of Black culture than you do Uzma, especially since she grew up on the southside of Chicago where there are as many Black people as all of Great Britian put together,(although Jasmine told me on B-mail that she lives in a mostly White middle class area now, in fact she told me she has lived in several different ethnic areas at one time or another). The United States and Great Britian, so much alike, yet in some ways different.
uzma
Members Profile
Send Private Message
Find Members Posts
Add to Buddy List
Senior Member
Joined: August 27 2002
Location: United Kingdom
Status: Offline
Points: 1057
Whatever the cultural or personal reason for shaving womens heads, in my opinion, it is a very effective way of making a woman - whatever her (subjective) physical attractiveness quotient - look (subjectively) less attractive. The above photos provide good examples.
Actually Uzma, you're wrong, the above photos don't provide good examples of bald women. Those women don't look good bald.
However some women look sensational bald.
Have you ever seen the African-American female singer Janice Robinson. She looks terrific bald. How about the French-Canadian fashion model Eve Salvail, or the African fashion model Alec Wek. Those ladies look great bald. The current Miss Africa who won the Face of Africa contest is a beautiful bald woman from Senegal. Remember the beautiful bald woman in the first Star Trek movie Persis Khambatta? She also looked great bald. Some women have the look to be bald, others don't. As far as short afros like Jasmine wears, that style can look great on Black women as do many short pixie styles on White women like Alyssa Milano. It just depends on if the woman can wear the look.
I love short hair on women. I'm much less enthused about bald women. * I have seen a few women who do look good bald. Obviously Persis Khambatta (Lt. Illia) was so pretty that she did look good bald in the Star Trek movie. I have seen a few attractive black women who are bald. A bald head usually looks better on a black woman than on others races of gals. Eve Salvail I don't thin looks very good bald. Neither does rock star Joan Jett. *I did think that Sinead looked good with her shaved head. She has a pretty face and those large brown eyes. Sinead is really one of the few white women I have seen that looks good bald.
These women don't look good bald, they are not pretty enough. A woman has to be very pretty and feminine to be bald and she has to wear makeup and earrings too to look really good in my opinion. It isn't for every woman. I really like wearing my hair short but I don't think I would ever shave my head bald.
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot create polls in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum
Topic Options
Post Options
Thanks(0)
aybe having a shaved head or a very short haircut seems absolutely dreadful to you Uzma but don't assume other women feel that way.
