Bald Women in the Public Eye

In 2007, Britney Spears shaved her head. The world sat up and stared in horror. It seemed Britney had finally lost it - her hair, and with it all sense of propriety and control over her life. The once-glamourous pop star, famous the world over for her sultry style and energy-fuelled chart hits, was reduced to a strangely naked-looking, vulnerable and sexless figure by this one simple act of hair-removal. It is often said that a woman's hair is her crowning glory, but in Britney's case it was shown to be more than that - it was her public veneer, her last token of sexuality, and ultimately the lynch-pin of her whole identity. Why the huge impact?

A consideration of the impact of baldness must necessarily involve a consideration of the impact of hair. Female baldness shocks us more than any other style (except perhaps the one in the mirror first thing in the morning - or maybe that's just me) because our hair is such a fundamental part of conventional female identity. Long hair for women is a strong cultural norm in many of the world's societies. To remove it, as Britney did, tends to provoke strong reactions - though few as extreme as the press furore surrounding her act of self-shearing.

However, bald women do exist and thrive, both in day to day life and as public figures. Hair can be styled and coloured along with our look - it is the ultimate accessory. It is sensual, tactile and soft. It's one of our sexiest assets. But is a lack of hair a statement about a lack of sexuality? Hardly.

Sexy bald women

Future space warrior Ripley, as played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien 3, had a shaven head to go with her khaki vest and dog-tags as she fought to destroy her alien nemeses - powerful, streamlined, fit, lithe and extremely hot in a rough-and-ready military way. Sinead O'Connor has been flying the flag for bare-headed beauty since the early 1990s. I defy anyone to watch the video for Nothing Compares 2 U and not be enchanted by her huge eyes and beautiful bone-structure - all the better highlighted by her lack of head-hair. Skin (aka Deborah Dyer) is a solo musician, androgynous sex symbol and one-time lead singer of indie rock band Skunk Anansie. When I saw the band live in 1996, Skin's bald head was covered in lip-prints from the kisses she had received from adoring friends and fans. Combined with a ton of black eyeliner and her tall, willowy shape, Skin's baldness lends her an other-wordly beauty. Classical beauty Natalie Portman shaved her head for the 2006 dystopia movie "V for Vendetta", in which she played female lead character Evey. "Some people will think I am a Neo-Nazi, have cancer or that I am a lesbian," she remarked, in an interview with movieweb.com.

Baldness and health

Such generalisations aside, baldness can of course be a a side-effect of illness as well as a powerful sexual or political statement. Many women who have survived ill-health have worn their shaven heads as a badge of courage - most recently close-cropped Kylie Minogue as she recovered from breast cancer, and alopecia sufferer Gail Porter, who lost all her golden locks almost overnight, but opted against getting a wig. Interestingly, these two women in particular have retained their sexy celebrity status despite their baldness, and rather than becoming objects of pity of curiosity have won hearts with their refusal to hide or conform.

Kylie's bravery in particular has been inspirational to many women and has done much to enhance breast cancer awareness around the world. Why such a contrast between these success stories, and Britney's experience of bewilderment and revulsion from the public and the press? Perhaps because it came as the latest in a series of "shock" tabloid stories about the troubled star, and was seen by many as an attention-seeking device. Perhaps because Britney seemed to be acting out of desperation or confusion, rather than courage and pride. The moral being that with baldness, as with any style, it is how you wear it that makes all the difference.