An infamous example of this was the thousands of European women who had their heads shaved in front of cheering crowds in the wake of World War II, in particular by the communist groups in France, as punishment for associating with occupying Germans during the war. Having the head shaved can be a punishment prescribed in law, but also something done as "mob justice". Furthermore, prisoners and psychiatric patients commonly have their heads shaved, often to prevent the spread of lice, but sometimes also as a demeaning measure. In the Confucian tradition, hair (like the rest of your body) is considered a gift from your parents and may not be damaged without a good reason. There are also some cultures, including Native American and many Asian ones, where a person would cut his or her hair as an act of grief, disgrace, or even rebellion. The cutting of one's own hair is also a part of Buddhism, specifically something done by Siddhartha himself early on in his path to enlightenment, so anime examples might draw from this as an allusion. Roman Catholic nuns also tend to cut and maintain their hair short under their veils when they enter the nunneries. In many religions (Western Christianity, Ancient Egyptian religion, and others) priests and/or monks cut/shave their hair. Yet in fiction, even an accidental hair slicing can leave a character with a surprisingly even cut. This is particularly a big deal when women get haircuts because their long hair takes a lot of time to grow and Long Hair Is Feminine, doubly so if the new haircut is completely shaven or bald. Parting with it voluntarily can be greatly symbolic. A princess striking out on an adventure, or a new recruit at boot camp, for instance. When a character cuts off their hair, it often symbolizes a rite of passage or bout of character growth.
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