This post might seem a little on the random side but i've had the idea sitting in my drafts since the last time I shaved my head 2 YEARS AGO!!... Since I recently returned to my low maintenance lil number one cut I figured this was as good a time as any to release this list of my favourite bald beauties, past and present...
Solange- Any regular visitors to any of my blogs will know how much I LOVE Solange!!... Back when I first chopped all my hair off- I think it was in 2009, Solange was one of the pushing factors in my final decision. Although big chops have become quite commonplace in the last few years, they weren't quite so common back then and Solange got a lot of stick for her bold decision
(yes, I should be a comedian)- including a fair few Britney comparisons. In actual fact Solange looked absolutely stunning. As you can see...
Amber Rose- Amber pretty much trademarked the buzzcut bleached blonde look and even though she's added subtle twists every now and again, she's been working this look for yearrrrrrrrrs. I remember watching an Amber interview on Wendy Williams a few years ago where she said something along the lines of 'being the only girl in the world who looks better without hair'... Erm, not sure I quite agree with that, but she definitely looks amazing!!
Natalie Portman- Her face is so pretty that I think she could get away with pretty much any haircut and buzz cutting for her role in V for Vendetta in 2005 was no exception.
Alek Wek- There are a whole host of stunning black models who sport shaved or very low cuts.... Enough for me to make a post dedicated to them exclusively... But this is not that post so i'm going to pick the iconic Sudanese supermodel Alek Wek. Her inclusion on the list is probably a bit of a reach since she usually sports a straight, slicked back mane rather than a very short cut. But I don't care. I wanted her on the list- my list, my rules :p
Ajak Deng- Okay maybe one more model... If I could steal anyone's lips for my own face i'd choose Ajak Deng's without a second thought. Her pout is so full and juicy she puts everyone else to shame. Like really... Her lips are perfectly crafted pillows!!... Anyway, lip envy aside, Ajak works her low cut like art.
Sinead O'Connor- With huge, disney eyes, long eyelashes and a great shaped brow, Sinead has spent the last few decade looking like a beautiful bald pixie. The inspiration behind many women's decision to try the bald look. Sinead is everything.
This list could easily go on, there are so many celebs/models/amazing bloggers/ordinary women on the street who have sported fierce low cuts, some noteworthy celebs being; Grace Bol, Noémie Lenoir, Lupita N'Yongo, Robin Tunney (in Empire Records, 1995), Eve Salvail, Erykah Badu, Willow Smith. If you love striking bald women like I do, I post pics on this page of my
Pinterest.
And finally, if you've been thinking about shaving your hair or getting a really low cut, here are few unsolicited pieces of advice from yours truly to make sure you do the whole thing right:
- When you have no hair, all the attention falls to your face which highlights anything weird or off balance- EYEBROWS, EYEBROWS, EYEBROWS- your eyebrows shape your face and this is realllly important when you're bald- brows that are plucked too thinly or styled into too much of an arch will look cray with cropped hair. You need a strong, even brow. If you have naturally thick brows, plus points for you. If you have thin, fine or over-plucked brows, shade them out a bit with a brow pencil (i'm not talking scary mary here, keep it natural looking).
- Your make-up in general makes more of an impact when you're bald! I'm pretty crap at applying blusher and this shows up more now that I don't have any hair covering the sides of my face. Apply blusher sparingly with a decent quality brush and if you're contouring do it subtly- '80s clothes are great, '80s blocky blusher- not so much.
- Most importantly- Be confident!!!!... Not the kinda cheesy advice I would usually offer but confidence really is the key to pulling this look off. The first time I shaved my hair it made me very unsure of myself. I was quite paranoid about the whole thing and eventually bought into the femininity myth that hair = soft and pretty and bald = hard and ugly. The second time I did it I was a couple of years older and more comfortable with the whole thing. I was also a lot less bothered about how others perceived my look. Consequently I got a lot of positive attention and just generally felt better. The TWA stage was a different story completely, hopefully the next time I have to go through that I can look back at my own advice, ha.
(Title = lyrics to 'Evil Eyes' by Roisin Murphy)
