Haircut and liberation : a study on Chinese women’s haircut movement in 1920-1930 = 剪髮之爭 : 從1920-1930年女子剪髮風潮看中國婦女解放之路

Abstract

In the 21st century, regular haircutting is part of most people’s routine. People are expected to have choices of their hairstyle. Therefore, it could be inconceivable to associate haircutting with liberation. Towards the end of the Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China (ROC), there was an upsurge in haircutting. In 1912, male was being ordered by the Provisional Government of the ROC to cut their braids as a symbol of extricating themselves from the Manchu political system. Nevertheless, haircutting in female did not imply the same level of political significance as male and the initiator was inconclusive. Through the propaganda of gender equity by the intellectuals, and the fact that education was more readily accessible by women, haircutting in women had gradually became a trend. Female began to develop a sense of independence and were eager to gain the autonomy over their body. The aim of this article is to investigate the behaviour of haircutting in women through newspaper records between 1920-1930; and to discuss the relationship between haircutting, education and women’s liberation from a physical discipline’s perspective.