Of all the celebrity hairstyles that exist, it's fair to say that a shaved head has to be the most striking. Think of Demi Moore shaving her head on-screen in 1997's G.I. Jane or more recently, Millie Bobby Brown cutting off her brunette locks for Stranger Things. Amongst them all, Sinead O'Connor's cropped cut has always been iconic.
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In a 2017 interview with Dr. Phil, the Irish singer revealed that she first shaved her head when she was 20. "When we were children, my sister had beautiful red hair, glorious red hair. That's why I'd be jealous of her. But my mother took it into her head that my sister's hair was ugly, and horrible and disgusting. When I had long hair, she would introduce us as her pretty daughter and her ugly daughter. And that's why I cut my hair off. I didn't want to be pretty," she said on the TV show. In her 2021 memoir Rememberings, Sinead wrote about shaving her head as an act of rebellion when being asked to dress more femininely by music executives. Though it was never with the purpose making a statement, that's exactly what shaving her head achieved. In a 1991 interview to Spin, she said, "Shaving my head to me was never a conscious thing. I was never making a statement. I just was bored one day and I wanted to shave my head, and that was literally all there was to it."
It may have started as sheer defiance but Sinead's shaved head went on to become a symbol of defying what femininity was defined by, challenging beauty norms and most importantly, doing whatever it is one wants to do with their hair. It went on to inspire so many over to world as if to say your hair doesn't need to define you when it's your spirit and strength that do.
Bollywood celebrity Lisa Ray is one who was inspired by Sinead's iconic hairstyle and music for more than just superficial reasons. After news of Sinead's death spread over the internet today, Ray took to Instagram to pay tribute to the singer. The following excerpts from her caption say, "She radiated both a fragile, unearthly beauty and a defiant strength. Her bald skull was shocking at first, and then it became apparent that a woman moulded by purpose simply didn't need hair- it was a natural conclusion and she wore it like an invitation to join a new species."
Why O'Connor possibly resonates particularly with her is because of Ray's cancer diagnosis in 2009, which led to her having to shave her head as well.
Global celebrities may never be able to comprehend the influence they have with their followers over the world. In Sinead's case, it was vast; for her striking hairstyle and fierce spirit with which she wore it.
