Much Hairdo About Nothing

Yesterday Britney Spears shaved her head.

If you are one to read the celebrity gossip blogs and websites, as I am wont to do, you will have noticed the great uproar and general disgust over this latest bit of trivia in the life and times of the pop princess.

The consensus seems to be that Britney has completely lost her mind, that the act of shaving herself bald is a clear indication that the young woman is mentally disturbed and or under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Many of the posts at these celebrity blogs, posts by so-called "normal" people, like you and I, are full of "OMG" and "WTF", and of course, many people simply saying that they feel sorry for her, and hope she gets the help she needs...

IT'S FUCKING HAIR, PEOPLE!

Not only is it hair, but it's HER hair, and it will grow back.

Are we so narrow-minded as a culture that we cannot fathom a bald woman? Are we unable to confront anything outside our "normal" cultural constructs? You know, prior to WWI, long hair and long beards were the accepted norm among men. It was only exposure to lice and fleas in the trenches of that war that ultimately led to short hair and clean-shaven faces on men becoming the acceptable norm. Nowadays, if a man sports long hair and a beard of any length we automatically assume that he is a hippie (with all the negative connotations associated with that lifestyle) and furthermore, has poor hygeine. Likewise, a woman with short hair must undoubtedly be a lesbian, and of course, a woman who goes bald absolutely MUST be mentally disturbed and/or under the influence.

I will offer the opposite - It is my contention that men with short hair and women with long hair are gutless and spineless soldiers in the army of the mundane. They lack imagination, they lack a sense of self, and they are consumed with a drive to please all others at all costs. These are the kinds of people who offer nothing of value to the world in which they live, and serve no better purpose than to pass judgement on blogs.

You are here.

Hotcha! Hank