Cutting Hair as a Sign of Grief

By Jennifer Bahney
Longhairovers.com

Although Bellafante contended that many women just wanted a new look, she said that others cut off their long hair as a sign of shock and sadness at the immense loss of life.

One client of famed hairdresser Stephen Knoll said she “cut her hair after Sept. 11 because, as she said, 'I felt so different internally, I wanted something to express it externally.'”

The client said that some of her friends “have felt similarly compelled.” One friend who practically shaved her head “explained that this was, in fact, an ancient ritual of grieving.”