I always assumed there was some tradition to cutting your hair short before going to war, because long hair would present numerous liabilities - more maintenance, potential visibility issues, potential to foil cover/disguise, and potential vulnerability in hand to hand combat. And there is a lot of military tradition to a short haircut, though I’m not sure how much is based on the above reasoning. But I’m not a historian so maybe this is just a bad interpretation of Mulan or a random teacher passing on low quality education.
I’ve been watching Battlestar Galactica (2004) and noticed a case of the opposite. It makes sense in context, but it’s an inversion of the trope. (And when things went back to normalish she cut it short again)
I thought that wasn’t a choice but instead because she wasn’t allowed sharp objects. A symbol of her being forced to do things she wouldn’t normally do. But maybe I’m misremembering. I do remember the dinner scene but it’s hard to cut your hair properly by yourself with scissors much less a steak knife.
edit: I was incorrect, she had chosen to grow her hair out before that situation occurred. Time for a rewatch!
Yeah, it was a result of the situation - like I said, makes sense in context. Just a counterexample that happened to be fresh in my mind
Edit: Actually the long hair happened before the crisis Really started, when her location changed (I’m trying to avoid spoilers to some degree) so I do think it was initially a choice, but that does mean it only vaguely fits the trope until it was not a choice.
You’re right, I forgot about the fact that her look had already changed at the start of that new arc! I really need to rewatch that show soon.
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Not at all a woman only thing, and it’s even been portrayed in movies by men, for example the suicide attempt scene in The Royal Tannenbaums.
Greg Universe also cut his hair off during a crisis situation.
And that’s a person or a thing!
Trauma cut, a distancing from the identity that experienced trauma
Good enough for Max Payne, good enough for me.
It’s called “not getting scalped”
I’m a dude with long hair, long hair is a burden. It fucks up your vision, can be irritating, requires lots of maintenance. When you are under pressure for any reason id say it’s nice for it to just be gone
I’m not a doctor or psychologist. I’m also aware that I’m replying to a greentext, but hear me out.
I think it’s simply “exercising agency and bodily autonomy.” Being able to modify one’s own body is a way to establish that you have the most basic form of control over yourself and your environment. It can help arrest the sensation of being out of control or under complete control of outside forces; an answer to feeling totally vulnerable. Cutting your hair off is an easy and quasi-socially-acceptable way to do this.
Were you not able to do this somehow, of your own volition, you’re probably in a very bad way and have much bigger problems to solve.
Could also be that in a life or death scenario having your hair in the way of your sight isn’t beneficial
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Beards have terrible aerodynamics.
Gas masks don’t seal well around a beard either.
As a guy with audhd and long hair, when life gets extra tough, cutting all my hair off is simple way to remove extra self-care steps from my life. This allows me to focus on other more pressing tasks. And it’s completely reversible
Growing back takes time
So does personal growth
I’m surprised the screenshot is from a movie or something because I only noticed this in anime and thought it was a japan thing.
Was Mulan the first instance?
It happened to a guy in And Justice For All in 1979.
Final Fantasy 9 did it, arguably.
As far as video games go, Wild Arms did it in 1996.
The story of Mulan seems to take place during the Wei dynasty, and was probably written during it as well. So that would place it between the late 300’s and early 500’s CE.
I immediately thought of Samson from the old Testament. It’s estimated that story takes place around 1,000 BCE. Not sure if anyone knows of anything older.
Was Samson a woman?
the legend of Billie Jean was 85’
Alien 3 was in 1992 and I don’t think Mulan did it out of a Crisis situation and more of a woman passing as a boy trope, which is older than TV or cinema.
Short or no hair means better ventilation, which speeds up neuron activation.
I’ve grown my my hair out and chopped it off several times. Maybe it’s some woo-woo psychic antenna thing, or maybe it’s the psychosomatic effect of the physical weight and inertia tugging on your scalp, but either way, each chop came with a feeling of emotional distance from the world. An almost immediate aloofness.
Bro became a monk
It’s called a french woman in 1945
