‘I didn’t want to be pretty’ - Sinead O’Connor on her ‘rebellious’ buzzcut
Besides her famous song, ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, Sinead O’Connor was well known for her buzzcut.
The Irish singer who passed away on July 26, 2023, at the age of 56, once said: “I don’t feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I’m an old lady, I’m going to have it.”
For those growing up in the 90s, she was a symbol of rebelliousness during a time when hair was everything.
While that hasn’t changed much over the years, O’Connor’s iconic buzz cut made it fashionable to have one.
However, the reason behind her buzzcut had nothing to do with being fashionable.
During an interview with Dr Phil in 2017, she shared why she shaved her hair.
“My sister had the most beautiful red hair, glorious red hair, the type you’d be jealous of. But my mother took it into her head that my sister’s hair was ugly, and horrible and disgusting.
“And then, when I had long hair, she would introduce us as her pretty daughter and her ugly daughter. And that’s why I cut my hair off. I didn’t want to be pretty,” she said.
The singer continued: “I didn’t want to be raped or molested, I didn’t want to dress like a girl, I didn’t want to be pretty. Other girls beat you up if you were pretty too.”
She added that the music industry also influenced her decision to keep her androgynous look.
“I was asked one day if would I grow my hair long and wear short skirts because they wanted to sell me on my sexuality.
“I didn’t want to be sold on that. If I was going to be successful, I wanted it to be because I was a good musician,” she said.
She stuck with the style for the rest of her career. As recently as 2021, O’Connor was still shaving her own head “about every 10 days,” as she told the New York Times.
Over the years we’ve seen many celebrities follow in her non-conformist footsteps by shaving their hair.
Sigourney Weaver donned a buzzcut in the movie ‘Alien 3’ in 1992.
Then there was Demi Moore in G.I. Jane in 1997.
Natalie Portman said she felt a “super cool feeling” when going out in the rain with her freshly shaved head during the filming of the movie ‘V for Vendetta’ in 2005.
We even saw Charlize Theron shave her blonde locks for the movie ‘Mad Max’ in 2015.
While these stars all donned the look for movie roles, other female celebrities now shave their heads by choice.
Stars like Doja Cat, Jada Pinkett Smith and Adwoa Aboah all rock buzzcuts.
Florence Pugh shocked everyone when she rocked up at the 2023 Met Gala with a freshly shaved head.
