'Hair is used by others to categorize and define us, to mark out our sexuality or gender. We are socialized to believe that when we cut off our hair, we are mutilating our femininity.'
"But why did she do it?" a male family friend asked my mum, his face the picture of confusion."Well, people take her more seriously now," was the rather defensive answer my mother gave in return. The"it" that they happened to be discussing in detail — and in front of me — was my new haircut..
As it turns out, I got off lightly. Twenty-five-year-old Eva* was working as a stockbroker when she cut her hair from hip- to bob-length in a bid to be taken more seriously in male-dominated board meetings. Instead, male coworkers made lewd jokes and even asked if she had sought her boyfriend’s permission beforehand."It was the kind of environment where everything was turned into a sexual remark," she told me.
Hair acts as a marker of gender identity, and it seems that when women choose to subvert this, they become a threat."[Women] having short hair is similar to other kinds of gender transgressions from the past, like not wearing a bra or a dress," Dr. Edmonds says."It’s a rejection of the cultural expectation that women should try to please.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
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