Are baldies more liberated?

[jera]

Some bald and shaved headed peeps feel their hairlessness is liberating. More liberating than long hair. I've always felt sorry for baldies, thinking that if they had healthy beautiful hair under that skin, they'd grow their hair down to the floor. :p

Personally, I've never felt long hair burdensome. To me it's empowering. And, I do love the hair compliments. Don't we all? :)

As a hippie child, having long hair was liberating and noncomformist. I was taught to care for my hair myself and have always enjoyed the freedom from stylists with their toxic chemicals and heat appliances who would sacrifice in a blink my healthy hair upon the altar of the latest fashion trend.

But, though short hair or hairlessness isn't for me, I've come to see how some peeps might consider it a liberating experience. Hair is such a highly personal form of self expression. And I do admire those here who have grown awesome long hair from bald headedness. :o They make me blush.

Whether you're a long term long hair or a newbie to the game, what is your opinion?

[alys]

Great question my friend. I'll tell you my feelings - for 10+ years I have alternated between pixie and growing as long as I can stand it, which ended up to be right above my BSL. And I LOVE the aestheics of long hair, unequivocally. But, I much prefer my pixie cuts to my long hair. The last pixie I got was edgy, short as Michelle Williams went (http://stylenews.peoplestylewatch.com/2007/02/24/). It rocked. The care and maint. was non-existent, I have the face for it IMHO, and I just felt liberated, like you asked. Liberated in knowing that I have no fussing the mornings, no fussing about products, no messing with hair ties. Right now I'm growing it out but only until I crave that liberation again :)

[marikamt]

I think both can be liberating..... a man who is losing his hair and shaves and goes all the way is just as sexy to me as a man with a full head of long hair....I think confidence and feeling beautiful with who and what you are is what "does it".....
Feeling comfortable in your skin and loving yourself is the sexiest and most liberating thing of all.....

[enfys]

I can't speak from personal experience of having short hair, but when DH comes out of the shower and rubs his head with a towel then dresses safe in the knowledge he'll have no drips on his clothes or wet hair soaking through layers of clothes for three hours, say, I'm very jealous. Ditto when it rains and he dries off in seconds. Or when he doesn't have to keep bands and clips and sticks within reach at all times. And hasn't brushed his hair since he was 12. And can use any shampoo as long as it smells nice.

But to maintain the short hair it needs cutting every few weeks. Again, no personal experience but that must be a bit boring and nerve wracking. I can hide a bad trim easily, for a year.

Also, short hair probably isn't as pretty and feminine as long hair for me. I think it's maybe more liberating as a wearable style, but maybe not as expression?

I can't think of anyone bald I know well enough to say they are liberated or not, and most aren't bald by choice anyway!

[Carolyn]

A feeling of liberation is going to be different for everyone. I've never felt long hair was burdensome as some say it is. Perhaps it is for some but not for me. I feel I'm not burdened by stressful salon visits for cuts and perms as many women my age are. I still go for root coverups and high lights but that I see as a burden I choose to take on in order to get the look I desire. I can see how either extreme could be liberating depending on the person.

I've wondered why someone would choose it but it doesn't bother me that some do. I can't get myself all concerned about someone else's hair...see my siggy line :D I'm too caught up in my own hair journey to bother to think much about someone else's hair. Sure I have my "what were they thinking" moments but that just lasts a few seconds and I'm done.

[Moonstone]

My partner keeps her head shaved, and it has been that way for about eight years. I'd say it was probably liberating when she first shaved her head, since she hates the feeling of having hair! These days, though, it's just how she's most comfortable. When she feels like her hair is getting "too long" ( by which she means about a quarter of an inch!), it starts driving her crazy! She's said that shaving her head weekly is sort of like a cleansing ritual. She loves the way being bald looks (and so do I), it's comfortable, and easy... sometimes I'm jealous! Also, I have to admit that she is always ready to leave the house before I am and she never has to worry about hiding oily hair!

[alys]

Enfys - I do respectfully disagree with you, in terms of short hair not being liberating as an expression. To me it's quite the opposite. In our culture women were expected to have long hair, almost as if it were a requisite. In the 20-30's women began cutting short bobs and pixies as the ultimate physical form of expression and liberation. Then, they actually started to wear pants, and vote, and become elected officials, etc etc. So yeah, short hair on a woman may not be the most feminine look, but I surely think it's expressive and beautiful. (especially since my hair is short currently, and I DO still feel pretty) :)

[noelgirl]

Either one can be a rejection of the status quo, so I don't think it's a question of one being more liberating than the other. I've never been bald, and it would look pretty bad on me, but I know people who really rock it.

[alys]

I totally agree with you Noel - both can be pretty, liberating and expressive. No one should be 'un-pretty' because of a hairstyle, long, bald or otherwise :0

[jera]

I think both can be liberating.
Feeling comfortable in your skin and loving yourself is the sexiest and most liberating thing of all.....


I agree. Feeling confident is attractive, it rubs off on others. :) And I've seen some hairless women who are very beautiful with their madeup faces and shoulder duster earrings. Women tend to have smaller facial features which looks okay with hairlessness.

Honestly though, whether by nature or design, I've never found a baldheaded man attractive. But I do respect them for taking control of their lives and liberating themselves from hair loss in their own way.

[enfys]

Enfys - I do respectfully disagree with you, in terms of short hair not being liberating as an expression. To me it's quite the opposite. In our culture women were expected to have long hair, almost as if it were a requisite. In the 20-30's women began cutting short bobs and pixies as the ultimate physical form of expression and liberation. Then, they actually started to wear pants, and vote, and become elected officials, etc etc. So yeah, short hair on a woman may not be the most feminine look, but I surely think it's expressive and beautiful. (especially since my hair is short currently, and I DO still feel pretty) :)

I don't think you're being disrespectful at all, no worries about that.

The short I'm talking about is supershort, the less than an inch type usually worn only by men, short that gets bundled with bald. The expressive I'm talking about is hair reflecting daily moods and being changeable accordingly.

Does that make more sense?

[alys]

Yeah, it does. Thanks for clarifying for me. One thing thats hard about e-communication is that it seems easier to misinterpret meanings, at least for me. :)

[marikamt]

Jera- I totally know what you mean... I have seen a lot of very small featured women who look AMAZING with really short hair... personally, I have very strong features and I do not feel pretty with short hair.... but I have seen girls with very short hair and thought "how adorable, I wish I could wear my hair like that"

[Elphie]

I'm married to the sexiest bald man alive and while he shaves his head now (due to male pattern baldness) I'm not sure if he finds it liberating. I think it's more a matter of he doesn't have much hair in the first place so he might as well shave it all. I must say, I've been tempted in the past to do it, I just don't think it would suit me.

[longhairedfairy]

I don't think they're more liberated. I think it depends entirely on the individual.
For me personally having my hair cut would be like a kind of confinement, like some Native American girls were forced to have their hair cut when they were placed in Catholic schools, girls in Magdalene laundries were forced to have their hair cut off, etc. (Note that this is nothing against Catholics. It happens in other religions/cultures/political stuff/whatever - those were just the first two that came to mind.)
I thought of another: women in Communist China were harrassed into cutting their hair short. Sometimes both women and men were half shaved in the "yin yang" cut to humiliate them.

[Speckla]

Depends on if they're be liberated from something. I once broke up with a jerk and it felt so good to cut my hair really short. I was only growing it out because he wanted me to.

[RancheroTheBee]

I don't think they're more liberated. I think it depends entirely on the individual.
For me personally having my hair cut would be like a kind of confinement, like some Native American girls were forced to have their hair cut when they were placed in Catholic schools, girls in Magdalene laundries were forced to have their hair cut off, etc. (Note that this is nothing against Catholics. It happens in other religions/cultures/political stuff/whatever - those were just the first two that came to mind.)
I thought of another: women in Communist China were harrassed into cutting their hair short. Sometimes both women and men were half shaved in the "yin yang" cut to humiliate them.

There was also France, after the German occupation ended, when women had their head shaved if they were suspected in helping the Germans.

If you check out my progress album, you'll see I was once bald. It was pretty liberating, though I suspect the opposite end of the spectrum would be liberating in a completely different way.

[Ash]

I had a sense of freedon when I shaved my head. It was really nice to just soap my head and rinse instead of worrying about product. Also I felt as if I had freed myself from my past and was starting a new life. I do not think having a shaved head suited me though, my skull isn't shaped right for that.

[ericthegreat]

Someone who chooses to shave his or her head bald is no more liberated that any of us who have really long hair. Liberation isn't tied into how long or how short your hair is or if you happen to shave your head.

Liberation lies WITHIN YOURSELF. An INDIVIDUAL who is in control of how he or she chooses to live his or her life is a liberated person. For myself and people who think like me, I find long hair to be the ultimate symbol of sexiness. And to have long, healthy shiny hair reflects on the health of the person who has that hair in my POV.

But for some other people, actually having hair is a nuisance, and to choose to get rid of all their hair is for these people a freeing experience. No hair, no hassle. They can just wake up out of bed and run straight out the door ready to face the world. Also, in some religions shaving your head or wearing your head shaved is a sign of humility. To have fancy material possessions and any form of adornment on your body even if its something natural like long hair is considered decadent. To be humble and pious for these people means getting rid of everything except the barest minimum of necessities like simple food, water and shelter.

Neither someone who chooses to wear their hair long or someone who chooses to shave their head for personal or for religious reasons is any more liberated than the other. The ONE THING that makes a person liberated is when that person makes a conscious choice to do anything out of their OWN FREE WILL.

[smilinjenn71]

Honestly, I've never felt more liberated as when I cut my hair to a pixie and wore it that way for 12 yrs!! It was sassy, sexy and definitely made a statement. (for me) Quite frankly, during this growing out phase I'm not diggin' my hair, my look or how it makes me feel in general. I'm sticking it out b/c I needed a change. My hope is that I will love it once it's to APL or BSL. I'll tell ya this though....if I don't like it, I will not hestitate for one second to go back to that sassy pixie.:D

Bald men....mmmm, don't get me started! :eyebrows: Likewise though, a man with beautifully kept long hair is sexy too.;) I'm also in agreement that I'm jealous of the ease that comes with super short and/or bald heads. I miss the days of towel drying my hair for a minute and being able to walk out the door!*sigh*

[shortgoinglong]

I always had long thick hair my entire life. I was used to the headaches and tangles from my hair. I never felt so liberated as when I cut it into a pixie. :cheese:However, the frequent trims and hair styling was very much of a pain. My hair grows so fast and is so thick that maintaining a pixie was a pain. Also, my face is too full and severe to look feminine with a pixie. Bald men? Sexy! Any man with confidence is sexy!:eyebrows:

[Roseate]

I've had pixie/clipper cuts that made me feel pretty free and easy, but when I shaved my head bald, I will admit I did feel pretty lousy. I looked like a patient or a prisoner (to myself, anyway). Funny that an inch or two of hair can make such a difference!

[jera]

I've had pixie/clipper cuts that made me feel pretty free and easy, but when I shaved my head bald, I will admit I did feel pretty lousy. I looked like a patient or a prisoner (to myself, anyway). Funny that an inch or two of hair can make such a difference!

Ha! I don't mean to laugh at how low lousy shaved hair made you feel, but it's such an accurate description. :D

I know without trying it I'd feel the same. For me long hair, cared for naturally, is liberating. I'm free from stylists and it's not oppressive because I have so many styling options. (That's one thing shaved heads do NOT have.) :pumpkin:

All these answers are interesting. I'm getting so many different perspectives on this issue.

[prittykitty]

I always had very long hair as a child and until my teenage years. Then I was a little below shoulder length due to styles. My hair being naturally curly is very hard to control and hard to grow out. You don't know how much I would love to just have very long, naturally straight hair that is low maintenance. I very much dislike my shoulder length (short as I call it) hair. Although I am now taking much better care of it and trying to have patience as it grows out, I will never like it at this length. I have read where monistat can grow hair faster and I am very temped to try it. The only thing holding me back is the possible side effects. I often wish there was a natural way to straighten or at least smooth out curly hair that will not dry it out. My husbands hair grows better than mine so it seems. I feel for those who are bald and cannot grow hair. Still, I have seen many men shave their heads and cannot understand why they would want to shave off nice healthy hair. The look of the 70's and metal head 80's has always been a favorite for me.

[Bene]

I suppose baldies (and I mean bald bald, not just a pixie cut) are liberated from dealing with how the hair looks.


.... But when the cold temperatures start creeping by, they're slaves to hats :D

[Iylivarae]

If I have a phase of strong dermatitis on my scalp, having a bald head really seems so liberating. I often think about just shaving.

If my scalp feels o.k., I'd never want to have short hair or be bald!

[Toadstool]

I pixied mine three weeks ago, and I have to say I find it do much freeer than having all that hair round my face. Now I'm the one who gets out of the shower, rubs her head with a towel and is good to go.
I find it very liberating not having to have long hair to look acceptable.
But I think it's a completely personal thing.

[Fethenwen]

Every time I have sat down on the chair at the saloon and asked for a short cut, it was due to bad self-esteem. It was at times when I felt rubbish, scruffy and "out".

Today I feel so liberated because I like being "out". I like being different and scruffy. I finally feel like I'm me both inside and out. And having long hair is a part of that look.

But I really can understand why some feel short hair is liberating. It just fits some peoples personality better I guess. Short hair is low maintenance, and somehow I see it as a way for women to feel feminine and in power without the usual romantic long locks.
I on the other hand feel ugly and manly with short hair :shrug:

[akka naeda]

My hair was about BSL/waist when I shaved it because I was bored with hair that looked like everyone else. I did it in the middle of winter which was a mistake because of the cold, but liberating I don't think so. My hair grows too fast and so it needed more frequent attention than it ever did when it was longer which kind of negated the fact it didn't take so much time to wash and dry. Oh and my scalp still produced the same amount of sebum so I got blocked pores which resulted in unsightly sebaceous cysts. I had it in a bleached pixie for a period after deciding to grow it back and that wasn't much better because it needed constant professional attention to keep it the right length, the right colour etc, because if my hair gets longer than a few inches it sticks out in all directions like a hedgehog and the product strong enough to keep it flat has not been invented yet.:D
For me my hair's better longer - it can be kept out of the way, or it can be down, it's on a two weekly wash cycle and I only think about trimming it every couple of months. It takes me a couple of minutes every morning to unplait it, brush it through and replait it. And at this length and colour, where I live it's still totally unique.

[Aer]

I could definitely see how sporting a bald head could be liberating. Because,as you said, hair is a highly personal thing. I think what you decide to do with your hair, or lack of, can actually even be a spiritual thing. It's definitely psychological, and I don't mean that in the same way some experts try to say that people who grow out their hair have mental issues. It means how you represent yourself to yourself and others. Sometimes just yourself. Getting rid of body hair, can give a sense of freedom, your cutting bonds/chains, or freeing yourself from something that may take up your time, which could make you feel like your cutting away something that could hold you back. It could give you a sense of simplicity, especially if that's what you strive for in your life.

Long hair can do the exact same thing for some people. It could mean your going against the norm, or letting your hair grow long may give you a sense of freedom too. Your letting yourself and your body do what it wants, your letting yourself flow.

Or deciding to be bald could mean you just like being bald, and having long hair could mean you really like having long hair. Who knows these things?

[Yozhik]

When I was younger I saw this tall woman in the Berlin airport with a shaved head. She was perhaps one of the most beautiful women I'd ever seen, and her looks were definitely enhanced by her obvious confidence and lack of hair.
As for myself, I had long hair when I was younger, but eventually cut it shorter, especially since I would get headaches from putting it up in buns all day. I flirted with the idea of buzzing it all of, but a lack of confidence over being so "exposed" as I feel that would make me be, I refrained. I love both super-long and super-short hair, though, especially because it takes confidence and dedication to have both :)

[harley mama]

I always thought I'd like to try shaving my head but, I never worked up the courage because I have a huge noggin and figured it would look really bad on me. My DH has been shaving his head by choice for several years now. He likes it and so do I. I don't know that it was liberating for him. He just decided he wanted a different look. He has worn his hair in many different styles and lengths since we have been together. I think that this look has lasted the longest. Probably because it is easy to hop in the shower and run a razor over it. He doesn't even use a mirror. He does it by feel.

[Fingolphin]

Every time I have cut my hair short (which has been many times; I always think I'll feel good with that change or whatever), I always regret it and wish I hadn't done it. Long hair is definitely for me. Once a long hair, always a long hair, I guess. :)

[pineapple pea]

For me, since my hair is thinning, I have dreams of shaving it off and looking beautiful. Unfortunately, my skull is shaped funny, and I don't have a face that is flattered by short cuts. So, yes, I would feel liberated if I could go bald.

[longhairedfairy]

My hair was about BSL/waist when I shaved it because I was bored with hair that looked like everyone else. I did it in the middle of winter which was a mistake because of the cold, but liberating I don't think so. My hair grows too fast and so it needed more frequent attention than it ever did when it was longer which kind of negated the fact it didn't take so much time to wash and dry. Oh and my scalp still produced the same amount of sebum so I got blocked pores which resulted in unsightly sebaceous cysts. I had it in a bleached pixie for a period after deciding to grow it back and that wasn't much better because it needed constant professional attention to keep it the right length, the right colour etc, because if my hair gets longer than a few inches it sticks out in all directions like a hedgehog and the product strong enough to keep it flat has not been invented yet.:D
For me my hair's better longer - it can be kept out of the way, or it can be down, it's on a two weekly wash cycle and I only think about trimming it every couple of months. It takes me a couple of minutes every morning to unplait it, brush it through and replait it. And at this length and colour, where I live it's still totally unique.
Like this?
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/ChrisSunHwa/2006-8-18/Chara05.jpg

[florenonite]

IMO, people are liberated when they wear their hair as they want to, rather than as they're told. Whether this means they're bald, or have a pink mohawk, or have ankle-length hair, or anything in between is irrelevant.

[longhairedfairy]

IMO, people are liberated when they wear their hair as they want to, rather than as they're told. Whether this means they're bald, or have a pink mohawk, or have ankle-length hair, or anything in between is irrelevant.
Or a two- or three-toned spiked 'do, like Kechara above.;)

[jasper]

I'm of the opinion that changing your hair does not change your personality.

If by liberated, you mean they're not a slave to a hair care routine, then, maybe baldies are more liberated.

[Themyst]

I think both can be liberating..... a man who is losing his hair and shaves and goes all the way is just as sexy to me as a man with a full head of long hair....I think confidence and feeling beautiful with who and what you are is what "does it".....
Feeling comfortable in your skin and loving yourself is the sexiest and most liberating thing of all.....

I'll agree with this. I do think that having what they call 'extra long' hair or deciding to shave your head is considered pretty extreme and fairly non-conformist either way. I love a man with way long hair, but I also find bald men attractive if they are confident. Liberated kind of goes along with confident, I think.

Sort of a side note: I think bald men with bigger noses are more attractive than ones with smaller noses. :hmm:

[Themyst]

Like this?
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/ChrisSunHwa/2006-8-18/Chara05.jpg

So darn cute!!!

[Feline]

Like this?
http://i168.photobucket.com/albums/u177/ChrisSunHwa/2006-8-18/Chara05.jpg

This adorable little hedgehog looks a great deal better than I do with pixie-cut hair! :D

[smilinjenn71]

This adorable little hedgehog looks a great deal better than I do with pixie-cut hair! :D

:rollin:............. couldn't help it!

[RocketDog]

I have shaved my head twice, and at one point in my life had hip-length virgin hair. Having been at both ends of the spectrum, I can say that they are both 'liberating' in their own way, since neither conforms to the super-styled bobs that are so popular right now. Having a shaved head is fun and requires practically no daily maintenance, but IMO long hair is much more fun ;)

[cuddledumplin]

I've actually shaved my hair to about an inch long about 10-12 years ago, and it did liberate a lot of time spent fiddling with my hair, but I prefer having long hair because I feel more feminine. The strange thing was that short hair showed off my bone structure very well, but when it grew out at all, it stuck up and looked bizarre, and when it got to pixie length, I looked like a poodle. It also looked really unbecoming at chin-length because I have such a round face. I also think that part of what makes me myself is my curly/ wavy hair, and long hair makes the best use of the texture. For me, it's a choice of really showing off my cheekbones or showing off the texture of my hair, and I can always pull my hair back to show off my bone structure.

[Alun]

It's the new combover, LOL!

Joking apart, I don't think that the guy who shaves his head bald because he's gone bald on top anyway is liberated. If he thinks that he's fooling anyone, then it is just like a combover. OTOH, it can be a sign of confidence in some of them, but not necessarily.

If I had any tendency to hair loss I think I'd still want the rest of my hair long, but then I'm sure that's because I'm simply the most bl**dy minded person I know! I don't exactly change my mind very easily.

I do have a lot of baggage relating to men with shaved heads. To me, growing up when and where I did, it means skinheads, neo-nazism and soccer violence. There wouldn't be anything liberating to me about adopting something with all those extremely negative associations, no matter what.

As for women with shaved heads, the only one I find attractive is Sinead O'Connor, and I suspect this is because she would be beautiful whatever she did with her hair. I have seen her with various (short) lengths of hair and they all look good on her. Does she feel liberated? I doubt if she's in any need of liberating to begin with. She's not exactly a wallflower.

But then, this thread is not about whether I find women attractive without hair. I suppose the quid pro quo is daily hair care versus trims. Pick at least one, but you either have to style it or trim it, or both, because it will grow anyway. Which is more liberating? No trims or no combing. My vote is no trims, but that's no surprise.

[Toadstool]

But then, this thread is not about whether I find women attractive without hair. I suppose the quid pro quo is daily hair care versus trims. Pick at least one, but you either have to style it or trim it, or both, because it will grow anyway. Which is more liberating? No trims or no combing. My vote is no trims, but that's no surprise.

I think liberating means different things to different people.
For me, having very short hair feels liberating because I took a risk and challenged my own belief that I could not look okay without hair to hide behind. So it was a personal liberation into self-acceptance which has given me confidence I never in my life had before. And that is the liberating thing.

[Flynn]

Yes! Of course! It is far more liberating from the routine of haircare than long hair is!

This question makes limited sense.

[jera]

IMO, people are liberated when they wear their hair as they want to, rather than as they're told. Whether this means they're bald, or have a pink mohawk, or have ankle-length hair, or anything in between is irrelevant.

I totally agree with you. :) I guess I feel, I love having options with my hair and appearance, and long hair gives me those options. :D When you're bald, you're bald. :rolleyes: Hair options=0. That wouldn't make me happy.

Maybe I'm speaking more of freedom than liberation?

[jera]

It's the new combover, LOL!

Joking apart, I don't think that the guy who shaves his head bald because he's gone bald on top anyway is liberated. If he thinks that he's fooling anyone, then it is just like a combover. OTOH, it can be a sign of confidence in some of them, but not necessarily.

That's the way I've always felt about guys with shaved heads. If they had great hair (like yours) you can be sure they'd grow it as long as their lifestyle would permit. :D I've always suspected hair loss issues underneath that shaved head. And that's not completely liberation.

Many of the peeps here who have considered shaving have hair loss and/or scalp issues. :( So shaving is a way of dealing with a difficult problem but it's not the kind of liberation I was speaking of. I think those who have healthy hair and shave because of ... whatever personal choices... are the ones who feel liberated.

[Alun]

IMO, people are liberated when they wear their hair as they want to, rather than as they're told. Whether this means they're bald, or have a pink mohawk, or have ankle-length hair, or anything in between is irrelevant.

I think that is so true.

OTOH, society's norms seem to be about shoulder length if you're female and an inch or two of hair if you're male, so either long hair or shaved bald can be outside that norm for either gender, but not necessarily to the same degree.