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comment by kleinbl00

Hair is the one aspect of our self-image that we can most easily influence. It has a lot of "youth" and "vitality" in its payload and hair grooming carries a lot of the conformity signals within society. That's one reason why the Abrahamic religions tend to have assorted taboos against cutting hair - it's a vanity cue and by leaving hair in its natural state (or protected from the world under a turban etc) one is showing austerity for God.

With social baggage like that, the act of attacking one's hair is justifiably seen as a socially-deviant act, just like vandalizing empty buildings. Worthy of note - you didn't go to a salon and say "I'm thinking of going shaven; make me look good" you went to your Crowlian friends 'cuz they had clippers.

Worthy of note - I had friends that would shave their heads before they opened for a big headliner. But they were in industrial bands. Not very good industrial bands. And in that crowd, walking around in a G-string with electrical tape over your nipples was considered normal, so the context needs to be considered.





_refugee_  ·  3350 days ago  ·  link  ·  

It's even more interesting to examine what I did, 6 years ago, with the context of time and insight like this. It makes perfect sense that I would chop off my hair.

That group of people was my 'core group' for a while.

I really, really don't like them now.

I did opt to go by my middle name after shaving my head and since joining the business world I reverted. That's about 4 years ago I guess. Anyway, now I sometimes wryly comment that I know if I like someone based on what they call me: if you call me by my middle name chances are good I want nothing to do with you, because you knew me then.

Used to sometimes get drunk and tell boys it was what I went by. I'd catch myself at that and realize whoever I was talking to already didn't have a chance.