Why I Shaved my Head

Shaving off your hair became a very common thing to do in 2020 as people our age fought to discover ourselves through the pandemic. It’s always described as liberating but on an impulse for most.

I sat on this thought ever since I cut all my hair off as a 12-year-old. I felt amazing! I felt refreshed, like it was a brand-new start for little Scott. The hairstyle I had took hold of me and refused to let go, until COVID.

Scott at 12, summer of 2017.

I started to grow my hair out during quarantine, as I wasn’t talented enough to cut my hair myself and everything was shut down. I didn’t like it, it felt weird and brushing it daily was a hassle of its own. I chopped most of it off, but wasn’t ready to commit to the shaved-head look.

Scott at 15, 2020-2021 school year.

Then, senior year came. I wanted to change my looks drastically, just as a shock-factor for some people. I promised that when I did my senior photos, I would shave my head right after.

And that is exactly what I did.

It was horrible at first. I was told on more than one occasion that I looked like a skinhead. For those who don’t know, skinheads are now associated with Nazis. It was my title until my hair grew out slightly, and everything said after that was:

“Oh my God, you look like [insert name of bald character from movie or TV show]!!”

Scott at 17, November of 2022

It felt amazing to be holding the hair that used to be on my head. It was odd, as well, because this was the least amount of hair I’ve ever had. Even when I was an infant, I had more hair than this. Everybody and their mothers commented on my hair, and there were a lot of mixed comments. Most of the older people degraded me for doing something so horrible to myself, as if they didn’t ruin the state of our world when they were my age. The younger people adored it, and I got a lot of compliments. They would say, “I wish I had your bravery.”

Bottom line? Do it. It’s a fantastic feeling, especially feeling the wind on your head. The only complaints I have are the negative comments from the public and being cold everywhere I go. But, the cold subsides when you start growing hair again, and that doesn’t take long. Give your damaged hair a break and shave it off!