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From: grass@uiuccsb.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.women
Subject: Re: women after marriage - (nf)
Message-ID: <6328@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 22-Mar-84 22:35:06 EST
Article-I.D.: uiucdcs.6328
Posted: Thu Mar 22 22:35:06 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 25-Mar-84 12:43:13 EST
Lines: 25

#R:pyuxnn:-22100:uiuccsb:12700010:000:1138
uiuccsb!grass    Mar 22 11:35:00 1984


A very interesting thing about the shorter hair comment:  In most of the
Slavic cultures, part of the marriage ceremony was cutting the bride's hair.
In Russian society, no one but the woman's immediate family was supposed
to see the woman's hair after she married.  In fact, married women
wore elaborate and ** heavy ** headpieces whenever they went out of the house.
The explanation I have heard is that they believed women's hair to have
magic powers that were just too dangerous to expose any random male to.

Interesting connection:  The head coverings that used to be worn by most
nuns.

Also interesting:  When I hit about 20, I started to get a LOT of pressure
from my mother to cut my hair (which was fairly long) because "it wasn't
appropriate" at my age.  At least one other girlfriend of mine had similar
problems with her mother.  I suspect the old hair taboos are alive and
well in 20th century America.

Final note: I wear my hair short now, but not because of my age...
It looks better with less care, and I ride horseback (hunters/jumpers)
and it can be literally dangerous to ride with long loose hair.
		-- Judy Grass