While Arab women in particular are famous for their perfectly coiffed hair, a new look has recently hit the headlines. Sherine Abdel-Wahab has stunned fans with her freshly shaved head, a far cry from the glossy, thick lengths that the star is known for. After revealing her dramatic new look, the Egyptian singer shared that her shaved head had nothing to do with fashion. Instead, the star explained in an interview with television host Amr Adib that she had lopped off her hair the day before her divorce to ex-husband Hossam Habib was finalized – because she no longer wanted to look attractive for him. She also revealed that the new look was linked to her diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder. “I am not mentally ill, but I am being treated by a psychiatrist for obsessive-compulsive disorder”, she disclosed. “I reached this stage because of my increased sensitivity, and I was punishing myself, because I made a lot of mistakes, to my name, and to my position, so I had to educate myself.” She then shared a visual featuring a woman with a shaved head on her Instagram account.
Abdel Wahab has also previously shaved her head, in support of and with understanding for cancer patients, a sentiment shared by Lebanese actress Nadine Nassib Njeim. The celebrity previously debuted her shaved head in an episode of Khamsa w Nos, after visiting the Children’s Cancer Center of Lebanon and empathizing with the young patients under treatment at the hospital. “It’s true that beauty is important, and we all wish to always look beautiful, but too often we forget that beauty comes from within,” she says in a video shared to her Instagram account. “Yes, I let go of my hair, but the question is, what changed? Nothing, I am still the same person.”
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Hollywood stars have also gone for the big shave, with celebrities now sporting a more streamlined look for their own powerful reasons. Jada Pinkett Smith has shared her struggle with alopecia and hair loss, showing that a buzzcut was one way she could reclaim control and captioning a photo of her freshly shaved head with “My 50s are bout to be Divinely lit with this shed.” Meanwhile, singer Halsey shaved it all off as a symbolic gesture “Hair has also been a big indicator of racial issues in my life,” she said. “It’s one of the ultimate symbolic struggles for women of color. Shaving my head was important to me because I needed to be able to prove that I could still love myself if I did it.”
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For others, the look can be more about having a fashion-forward edge. Dubai-based model Chanel Iman is known for her confidence when it comes to flaunting a shaved head, alternating between long locks and a chic and smooth head for high fashion looks. American singer Toni Braxton also went short this year, buzzing her hair off ahead of the summer. Others have previously shaved their heads for roles, with Demi Moore famously going bare for GI Jane, and Kristen Stewart gaining more style cred for her bleached buzzcut.
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