features@ihuxf.UUCP (M.A. Zeszutko) (03/26/84)
As someone mentioned, it was quite common to have a maiden's hair cut at her marriage ceremony. It was also tied up with the example of nuns' headdress. I'd like to carry that analogy further. In the (old) monastic/priestly ceremony of tonsure, the monk/priest's head was cut or shaved, creating something that looked like a bald spot on the cleric's head. This (so I was told) was to symbolize the slavery that the cleric had given up, and to indicate his new status in the new order. It is also a classic example of divestiture of power. The cleric was to give his life to the service of God and the church. Who knows why they chose tonsure? Maybe they were thinking of the story of Sampson and Delilah. Cutting of hair has long been a symbol of dominion over someone. Could be that's why the religious had to do it, and the married women. (Can anyone recall some folk tale where a witch had short hair, signifying she had given up her power?) As far as today is concerned, I nearly got fired from one job when I had long hair. It didn't fit the corporate image. Now I wear short, but it's because I find it easiest to care for when it's really long or fairly short, but not in between. It's nice to have a choice in the job I have now. Mary Ann Zeszutko AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville.
saquigley@watmath.UUCP (Sophie Quigley) (03/27/84)
<bon appetit>
Another very simple reason as to why women cut their hair after they get married
is that long hair doesn't look as nice as one gets older since it tends to pull
the face down. As women are older after they get married than before, assuming
we are talking about the same marriage, then they probably are more likely to
cut their hair after their marriage then before.
Other simple resons might have to do with having children. During pregnancy,
hair often looses some of its luster. As the child is drawing nurishment from
the mother, less important parts of her body might tend to suffer and hair is
one of them, so in some cases it might be better to cut the hair.
The other possibility is that after they get married women often have less time
to spend on themselves as they have to spend more time taking care of others, so
the least important things probably go first, for some it's fitness, others it's
taking care of one's hair and others wearing nice clothes.
Of course all the other suggestions probably have something to do with it, but
I think the more down to earth ones are probably the main reasons.
Sophie Quigley
...!{decvax,allegra}!watmath!saquigleydeborah@avsdS.UUCP (03/30/84)
The shape of tonsure (the ring of hair on a monk's head) is meant to imitate the ring of thorns on Christ's head when he was crucified.
cdanderson@watarts.UUCP (04/03/84)
Another example of short hair = oppression is that when womyn
were caught either as prisoners-of-war or collaberating with the enemy
they had their heads shorn as a mark of this.
With hair longer than many women I know,
Cameron Anderson
watmath!watarts!cdanderson
P.S. isn't it curious that the Armed Forces and corporations enforce the same