Hair

Hair has been associated with health, youth, power, and privilege throughout history, often symbolizing one's geographical, political, racial, and religious statuses. Hair can signal one's social group affiliation and often connotes ideas about gender, power, and culture both in industrialized and developing parts of the world. The growth of body and facial hair has represented political rebellions of the late 1960s, as well as bohemian and countercultural choices. The removal of head and body hair has at times symbolized powerlessness, deference to authority, and religious submission. While many techniques exist to manage hair growth and grooming, and much cultural variation exists for normative hair practices, men and women mostly conform to norms that encourage men's hairiness and women's hairlessness.