Why Is a Cruel and Medieval Form of Child Punishment Making a Comeback?

I feel like the forcible cutting of someone’s hair, particularly the hair of women, gender non-conforming men, and femme non-binary people is a particularly symbolically pregnant form of violence.

I mean think of what Romney did in school to a gay class mate, think of the shaving of the heads of French sex workers (often innocent victims of rape or starvation) by people who were often trying to take attention away from their own nazi collaboration, think of the shocking scene of Cersei Lannister, the cutting of the hair of French aristocrats before the guillotine, the hair of viking thralls, the cutting off of Rastafarians’ sacred dreadlocks by racist police forces, the cutting off of the hair of black women and girls in racially charged incidents like these, the cutting of Native American student’s hair in residential schools

There is some particular symbolic importance to hair, in our society long hair is feminine, but also a symbol of a kind of rebellion or freedom.  Hair is sensual and yet in some ways perceived as a statement of aggression.

I don’t know.

Why Is a Cruel and Medieval Form of Child Punishment Making a Comeback?