When Sinéad O’Connor debuted her buzzcut in 1987, it was an act of defiance against the music industry’s beauty standards. The 20-year-old’s baldness became her signature look and a symbol of her refusal to conform.
O’Connor was not the first woman to buzz her hair, but she brought the rebellious style into the mainstream. Throughout history, women have shaved their heads as acts of protest and solidarity. In the 18th century, some French women cut their hair to honor guillotine victims. Britney Spears’ infamous 2007 head shaving was seen as a breakdown, but fans buzzed their hair in 2021 to support her conservatorship battle. During Iran’s recent protests over Mahsa Amini’s death, women worldwide chopped their locks to oppose compulsory hijab laws.
Though once a sign of conformity in ancient cultures and the military, female buzzcuts now represent freedom from traditional beauty norms. Pioneered by the likes of Grace Jones and Annie Lennox in the 80s, the edgy style has been adopted by stars like Amber Rose, Willow Smith, and Florence Pugh. Despite becoming more commonplace, the buzzcut retains its feeling of empowerment, as Sinéad O’Connor proved decades ago.
