Girls get Bald and Beautiful

Girls get Bald and Beautiful

By Amanda Zhang, 8 September 2006

When one sees a girl with a shaven head, a few thoughts possibly come immediately to mind — that the girl could either be a radical or that she could be suffering from cancer.

In July, some women in Singapore made a bold move involving the combination of both thoughts – they went bald to raise funds for cancer patients.


The movement was part of the Hair for Hope event organized by the Children’s Cancer Foundation.

NUS law alumnus, Teo Minzi, was one of 197 females who shed her locks to support the cause.

She described the experience as “liberating.”

According to Teo, her head felt lighter and she could “literally feel each drop of water and each caress of the wind on her naked scalp.”

In addition to the physical liberation, Teo said she was glad she had shaved her head for a good cause.

She said she managed to raise quite a large sum and attributed her achievement to her baldness, which had a “visual and direct impact on others.”

“As long as you believe in it, I think shaving your head is worth it,” she added.

Singapore raw to female bald heads

Teo may be all praise for her new bald look but she is also aware of the stigma attached to the image of a bald female. She said it was possible that some females in Singaporeans not able to shave their heads due to a corporate image that they have to upkeep.

Having just left her previous job, Teo said she did not have to deal with such a problem.

Debbie Ding, a fourth-year arts student, went through the gender barrier that Teo talked about.

Ding said she had wanted to shave her head but her parents objected to her decision. According to Ding, her parents thought she would be “less of a girl” if she went bald.

“It’s difficult for girls to find socially accepted causes for shaving their heads,” Ding said. “While it’s a good idea because it’s very visible and provocative, more conservative people still dislike it.”

The gender-based stigma may not be as apparent overseas.

Hannah Lim, a Singaporean exchange student from the University of British Columbia, shaved off all her hair when she was in Vancouver in April last year.

Lim said there is a large diversity of people, ranging from Goths to skater-boys, in Vancouver and bald girls were “simply another statement” that blended in with the wide social strata.

Hannah Lim, feeling liberated

Lim added that there are regular shaving events in Canada to help raise funds for cancer patients and that such events are probably still “a new culture” in Singapore.

As being part of this foreign culture, Lim said she received stares from people both in the streets and at church upon returning to Singapore a month after shaving off her hair. She added that her friends and family were initially shocked and not used to seeing her bald.

“I think people thought that I was going through a rebellious phase,” Lim said.

Despite the social consequences, Lim said she felt more confident when she is bald.

“Bald is beautiful,” she said.

Hair for Hope was held at Suntec City’s Fountain of Wealth on Jul. 23 and Jul. 30. A total of 900 volunteer shed their locks, of which 127 of them were female.

Organized by the Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF), the shaving of healthy participants’ heads was symbolic of the cancer patients’ fight against the disease.

In a bid to lend moral support to children with cancer, the ambassadors who volunteered to shave their hair at Hair for Hope attempted to show that there is nothing wrong about being bald.

After shaving their hair, the ambassadors would receive a pledge card with which they can solicit donations. The project ambassadors were also able to raise funds using an online pledge which allowed people to donate money through internet banking.

For more information, please visit http://www.ccf.org.sg/hfh/

Women have all the fun

The stigma on going bald does not always fall on the female gender.

Nabil Mustafiz, a second-year law student, said in jest that there was a downside to shaving his hair at the Hair for Hope event.

“I had to make extra effort to distinguish myself from new recruits when I was out,” he said. “I even grew facial hair.”

On a more serious note, Mustafiz admitted that the experience of shaving one’s hair completely is probably “more exciting” for females than males judging from the way the media focused on the former during the event.

“In Singapore, all NS-trained men have at least shaved their head once,” he added.

Despite the downside to being bald, the law student said he “still stands by the good cause behind the event.”

A bold commitment for both men and women

Lay Shi Wei, a business undergraduate, said he found it admirable that both women and men participated in Hair for Hope.

Lay heard of the event from a friend only after it ended and had thus “regrettably” missed the chance to be part of it.

“I think it was meaningful. It is a more effective means of raising funds and also awareness as compared to charity stunts on television,” he said. “It is a greater commitment than just making a phone call. Your appearance is affected and it involves a longer period of time.”

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