Why Do Hassidic Women Shave Their Heads?

“Why Do Hassidic Women Shave Their Heads?”

How often have you asked yourself this question? 

 Here is one answer I came across:

“Hassidism comes with a strict dress code. Men typically wear black pants, white shirts, and black jackets and often smell funny.  On special occasions, they often adopt the style of dress of Polish aristocracy, 19th Century Polish aristocracy.   Nobody knows why they do this. They also often have long beards and curls on either side of their heads, called 'payos.' To further complicate things, as young boys they are taught to believe that they are virtually defenseless against the sinful lure of women. For these poor guys, even the slightest contact with a woman must be avoided.  Outside of marriage, of course. It should therefore come as no great surprise that Hassidic families tend to have children by the dozen. There are also 'escorts' who specialize in servicing these guys, but that's another story.

Meantime, women are taught to overcome their lewd nature by dressing in as unappealing manner as possible, often referred to as 'frump.'  Their common attire usually consists of long, shapeless and dull colored dresses, thick stockings and hair covered with a scarf, a hat, a wig or all three.  Some Hassidic women take it a step further and shave their heads. In their tradition, uncovered hair is similar to nudity and, according to some rabbis, the only way to ensure modesty is for women to shave their heads altogether.

However, a few younger women have broken with tradition; although they continued to cover their heads in public, the are adopting more modern and stylish clothing.”

Modern Hassidic woman seen on 14^th Street, Union Square.