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Object Lessons
Hair
Object Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.
Hair, a primary marker of our mammalian nature, is an extraordinary indicator of economic and social standing, political orientation, religious affiliation, marital status, and cultural leanings, among other things. The meanings of hair are deep, powerful, and so strongly embedded in cultural conditioning that they are usually understood unconsciously (and all the more strongly for that).
In untangling its myriad meanings, Scott Lowe reveals just how little we control our hair, no matter the style: each and every passer-by decides on its significance anew. From Hittites to hippies and Pentecostals to porn stars, Hair combs through a ubiquitous personal yet public object, a charged and carefully managed dead thing.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
Hair, a primary marker of our mammalian nature, is an extraordinary indicator of economic and social standing, political orientation, religious affiliation, marital status, and cultural leanings, among other things. The meanings of hair are deep, powerful, and so strongly embedded in cultural conditioning that they are usually understood unconsciously (and all the more strongly for that).
In untangling its myriad meanings, Scott Lowe reveals just how little we control our hair, no matter the style: each and every passer-by decides on its significance anew. From Hittites to hippies and Pentecostals to porn stars, Hair combs through a ubiquitous personal yet public object, a charged and carefully managed dead thing.
Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.
- GenresNonfictionHistoryEssays
125 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2016
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215 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
April 30, 2020
Fascinating stuff – I loved it. Looking forward to reading more in this series.
September 29, 2017
Being stuck with a curious friend has meant that I too have become more curious about the trivia of the world we live in. I chanced upon this book at my favorite bookstore, and picked it up immediately as a gift for the curious friend. Fact: we have always wondered about the obsession with beards and long hair in religion. I thought this book would answer those questions, and it largely did. Scott Howe also is quite funny in places - overall this book is a little treasure that can shed light on our messy, chaotic world.
May 18, 2021
Hair and hairstyles are endlessly fascinating. The cultural differences, the meaning behind particular styles, the changing fashion trends over time, and the assumptions we make about people with particular hairstyles are limitless. If you find yourself wondering how the Ned Kelly beard made a comeback, or why a young person today would choose to rock a mullet, then you're interested in hair too.
Hair by Scott Lowe is from the Object Lessons series of books by Bloomsbury Academic, and I borrowed this copy from the library.
"So, the way hair is dyed, shaped, managed, neglected, restrained, or set free always has meaning. Hair is vexing and it is complex. Everyone has opinions about hair, so naturally the world's religious traditions have a great deal to say about it." Pages 12-13
Lowe goes on to say:
"Hair may be social or private, trendy or deliberately uncool, serious or ironic; hair is geographical, ethnic, and biological, but above all, I think it's religious." Page 14
Having taught religious studies for 30 years, Scott Lowe informs the reader early on that he is going to narrow his focus and present the religious aspects of hair in this book. Was I disappointed on learning this? You bet! Did I feel as though I wasn't going to get the full picture? Absolutely! However, the author still managed to hold my attention and teach me something new, like the fact that Muslim men remove their armpit and pubic hair.
"Modern Muslim men continue to practice a limited form of body depilation, removing only armpit and pubic hair. Torso, arm, and leg hair is usually left undisturbed. Head hair is neatly trimmed and kept short, beards are also trimmed but usually long." Page 46
Lowe points out that some religions use hair and dress to differentiate themselves from Muslims and other religions. Sikhs wear 'full moustaches, extravagant beards and often enormous turbans' and Hindus have short hair, heavy moustaches and no beards. Other religions and hairstyles were presented, including a topic of interest, the tonsure. A variety of interpretations for the shaven head were also revealed.
"A shaven head indicates disgrace or shame when used as a punishment, yet a similar hairless head might signify controlled rage on a White supremacist, self-confident power on a CEO, dedication to a life of celibacy on a Buddhist monk, a recent life transition on a Hindu, and mourning on a Lakota. It's complex." Page 122
The covering of women's hair for religious purposes is included, and wimples, hijabs, veils and wigs are touched on briefly, along with the history of blonde and red hair in men and women.
In an introduction to styling, Lowe piqued my interest with the following:
"In every epoch for which we have evidence, humans have employed enormous creative energy to devise new and distinctive hairstyles. From braiding to perming to tying hair onto massive wire and wood superstructures, powdering, flouring - before the French revolution put an end to that wasteful practice, French aristocrats purportedly used enough flour on their wigs every month to make thousands of loaves of bread - shaving, sculpting, lacquering, coloring, curling, gilding, waxing, primping, ratting, the list goes on and on." Page 69
Unfortunately for this reader, Lowe doesn't expand on any of these tantalising hairstyles, and much is left unexplored in favour of the focus on religion.
Ironically, Lowe had time in the book to touch on the strange custom of eighteenth-century British lovers who 'give each other clippings of their pubic hair' and the Victorian custom of mourning jewellery containing a lock of hair from a deceased loved one. With only three pages given to African-American hair and hairstyles, these were all topics I was eager to explore but will need to do so elsewhere.
Hair by Scott Lowe is from the Object Lessons series of books by Bloomsbury Academic, and I borrowed this copy from the library.
"So, the way hair is dyed, shaped, managed, neglected, restrained, or set free always has meaning. Hair is vexing and it is complex. Everyone has opinions about hair, so naturally the world's religious traditions have a great deal to say about it." Pages 12-13
Lowe goes on to say:
"Hair may be social or private, trendy or deliberately uncool, serious or ironic; hair is geographical, ethnic, and biological, but above all, I think it's religious." Page 14
Having taught religious studies for 30 years, Scott Lowe informs the reader early on that he is going to narrow his focus and present the religious aspects of hair in this book. Was I disappointed on learning this? You bet! Did I feel as though I wasn't going to get the full picture? Absolutely! However, the author still managed to hold my attention and teach me something new, like the fact that Muslim men remove their armpit and pubic hair.
"Modern Muslim men continue to practice a limited form of body depilation, removing only armpit and pubic hair. Torso, arm, and leg hair is usually left undisturbed. Head hair is neatly trimmed and kept short, beards are also trimmed but usually long." Page 46
Lowe points out that some religions use hair and dress to differentiate themselves from Muslims and other religions. Sikhs wear 'full moustaches, extravagant beards and often enormous turbans' and Hindus have short hair, heavy moustaches and no beards. Other religions and hairstyles were presented, including a topic of interest, the tonsure. A variety of interpretations for the shaven head were also revealed.
"A shaven head indicates disgrace or shame when used as a punishment, yet a similar hairless head might signify controlled rage on a White supremacist, self-confident power on a CEO, dedication to a life of celibacy on a Buddhist monk, a recent life transition on a Hindu, and mourning on a Lakota. It's complex." Page 122
The covering of women's hair for religious purposes is included, and wimples, hijabs, veils and wigs are touched on briefly, along with the history of blonde and red hair in men and women.
In an introduction to styling, Lowe piqued my interest with the following:
"In every epoch for which we have evidence, humans have employed enormous creative energy to devise new and distinctive hairstyles. From braiding to perming to tying hair onto massive wire and wood superstructures, powdering, flouring - before the French revolution put an end to that wasteful practice, French aristocrats purportedly used enough flour on their wigs every month to make thousands of loaves of bread - shaving, sculpting, lacquering, coloring, curling, gilding, waxing, primping, ratting, the list goes on and on." Page 69
Unfortunately for this reader, Lowe doesn't expand on any of these tantalising hairstyles, and much is left unexplored in favour of the focus on religion.
Ironically, Lowe had time in the book to touch on the strange custom of eighteenth-century British lovers who 'give each other clippings of their pubic hair' and the Victorian custom of mourning jewellery containing a lock of hair from a deceased loved one. With only three pages given to African-American hair and hairstyles, these were all topics I was eager to explore but will need to do so elsewhere.
January 14, 2020
I enjoy microhistories like this. This has a definite focus on various religious traditions on hair that I found very interesting, even though Lowe can’t write about them without inserting his own judgments. It’s fair from comprehensive, of course, considering its slenderness, but you still learn a ton.
October 8, 2020
Hair by Scott Lowe is another in the Bloomsbury series on common items in everyday life. Lowe is Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, USA, and Co-General Editor of Nova Religio.
Humans have hair. It is a trait we share with all mammals along with live birth and lactation. The amount of hair varies and the "acceptable" hair varies with culture and time. Long hair on males has come and gone. I remember being chastised by the head football coach for being a "hair god" along with the other males with long hair. This was in 1980. After than I spent almost a decade with a Marine Corps high and tight. Currently, I haven't had a haircut in a decade. Lowe points out that hair follicles have a limited life and produces hair length of about 18 inches on average. Perfect for me. A self-maintaining hair length.
Lowe looks at hair through a religious lens since that is his background. My old comment to the nuns "But, Jesus had long hair." turns out is likely untrue. It seems that shorter hair on men was common. Perhaps the constant warfare and not wanting to give the enemy something to grab may have been part of it. When the Manchu conquered parts of China it required all people to adopt the Manchu hairstyle under the penalty of death. The front part of the head was shaved but a long ponytail in the back. Perhaps the most radical mullet of all time. In colonial America, Quakers refused to remove their hats before the Puritan governor. Several were put to death for failure to obey until the king intervened. The Quakers took their orders from the Bible. God was to see their bare head, not man. I remember Catholic church in the 1970s -- Men removed their hats and women covered their heads with scarves or babushkas.
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head" (1 Cor. 1:3-6)
Odd too that we live in a country or culture where we criticize the Hijab. There is no public concern about the Amish women keeping their head covered for religious reasons. The Amish and Islam share another similarity -- Facial hair. Beards are a must for men and moustaches are trimmed in Islam or shaved away on Amish males. The moustache is a symbol of the military and the Amish are pacifists. Other religions and cultures are covered too in both the East and West.
Lowe examines hair biologically, historically, and culturally. From fascination of Blonde hair and fear of red hair to the long, short, and style of it all. A well written and researched book on a subject that is so common but has even resulted in death. The hair over our bodies as well as our head is also discussed from the perspective of history and cultures. A fascinating look into the ordinary.
Humans have hair. It is a trait we share with all mammals along with live birth and lactation. The amount of hair varies and the "acceptable" hair varies with culture and time. Long hair on males has come and gone. I remember being chastised by the head football coach for being a "hair god" along with the other males with long hair. This was in 1980. After than I spent almost a decade with a Marine Corps high and tight. Currently, I haven't had a haircut in a decade. Lowe points out that hair follicles have a limited life and produces hair length of about 18 inches on average. Perfect for me. A self-maintaining hair length.
Lowe looks at hair through a religious lens since that is his background. My old comment to the nuns "But, Jesus had long hair." turns out is likely untrue. It seems that shorter hair on men was common. Perhaps the constant warfare and not wanting to give the enemy something to grab may have been part of it. When the Manchu conquered parts of China it required all people to adopt the Manchu hairstyle under the penalty of death. The front part of the head was shaved but a long ponytail in the back. Perhaps the most radical mullet of all time. In colonial America, Quakers refused to remove their hats before the Puritan governor. Several were put to death for failure to obey until the king intervened. The Quakers took their orders from the Bible. God was to see their bare head, not man. I remember Catholic church in the 1970s -- Men removed their hats and women covered their heads with scarves or babushkas.
Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head, but every wife who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since it is the same as if her head were shaven. For if a wife will not cover her head, then she should cut her hair short. But since it is disgraceful for a wife to cut off her hair or shave her head, let her cover her head" (1 Cor. 1:3-6)
Odd too that we live in a country or culture where we criticize the Hijab. There is no public concern about the Amish women keeping their head covered for religious reasons. The Amish and Islam share another similarity -- Facial hair. Beards are a must for men and moustaches are trimmed in Islam or shaved away on Amish males. The moustache is a symbol of the military and the Amish are pacifists. Other religions and cultures are covered too in both the East and West.
Lowe examines hair biologically, historically, and culturally. From fascination of Blonde hair and fear of red hair to the long, short, and style of it all. A well written and researched book on a subject that is so common but has even resulted in death. The hair over our bodies as well as our head is also discussed from the perspective of history and cultures. A fascinating look into the ordinary.
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November 16, 2025I used to think bald fades were only for guys who wanted something extremely sharp or dramatic, but after paying more attention, I realized there’s actually a lot of versatility to it. The clean transition around the sides gives this crisp confidence that works with almost any outfit — business casual, streetwear, even something more dressed up. There was a point when I wanted a fresh start haircut-wise, something that felt modern without going overboard. That’s when I started reading about the bald fade, and the style began to make sense in a new way. The best part is how light and clean it feels day-to-day. No extra weight, no complicated maintenance, just a sharp outline that makes everything else look more polished. For everyday wear, it’s surprisingly balanced and easy to live with.
October 13, 2017
Informative, entertaining, well-researched. Lots to love in a teeny tiny book.
July 17, 2016
It's a challenge to write about hair traditions around the globe and throughout time in a casual, easy-to-read manner. I commend Scott Lowe for his attempt. He states right off the bat, how huge the topic of hair is and he's only going to "try to hit some highlights," adding, “... the problem with all hair theories. There are exceptions to every rule.” This book felt like sitting with your friend over beers discussing the stories of hair in different cultures.
While I really loved some of the stories, and the clear organization of the book, I found Lowe's writing style to be on the annoying side. Other reviewers here refer to the book as academic, but I found it to be more colloquial in it's style. His topic is interesting enough, so we didn’t need trite, dated, and mildly offensive comments. When discussing long hair in the 1960s he says, "after all, everyone feels stupid asking, 'Are you a boy, or are you a girl?'" (Actually gender or gender-less identity is a significant and serious topic today.) He mentions women in a manner that is dated. (“In many ways, women are tougher than men.”) And in this example, he is downright insulting to blonds: "Hair color is often used to stereotype individuals in apparently arbitrary ways, though when examined historically surprising links can be discovered. For example, blonds not only have more fun, they’re believed to be giddy, intellectually shallow, and perhaps sexually wanton." Really? What kind of a comment is this?
Lowe uses a tremendous amount of the following words: maybe, might, perhaps, purportedly, I think, my guess, possibly, sometimes, though this is conjecture. Sentences with these words don't affirm the authority of the author. I'm sure this was a tactic in order to sound less academic, and have the book appeal to a broader readership, but I found the style cloying. As a result, it undermined my trust in him as a reliable source and I felt I needed to question some of his facts. They could all be true, but the author did not provide footnotes or quote his sources to to document his statements.
But when Lowe tells personal anecdotes, they are entertaining and feel knowledgeable -- his story about head shaving and Buddhist monks being a fine example. Discussing early Christianity, the author is in his element, and his account of head-shaving in medieval China was also super interesting and told with more authority.
But when he refers to bowl cuts on women as "still feminine if matronly," I just want to say, stick to the facts sir, this isn't the place for your personal opinion. And an eye-roll ensued at his disbelief that Chris Rock's "work appeals to a diverse demographic." Yeah, Scott, people that aren't black watch Chris Rock. So I gave the book 3 stars, because I found the book basically enjoyable to read. But Lowe missed on too many levels. He announced at the beginning that he will not propose a universal theory of hair, and in doing so laid out his dated world view and methodology right off the bat. Post-modern theories did away with the concept that there could possibly be one truth, one story, years ago.
While I really loved some of the stories, and the clear organization of the book, I found Lowe's writing style to be on the annoying side. Other reviewers here refer to the book as academic, but I found it to be more colloquial in it's style. His topic is interesting enough, so we didn’t need trite, dated, and mildly offensive comments. When discussing long hair in the 1960s he says, "after all, everyone feels stupid asking, 'Are you a boy, or are you a girl?'" (Actually gender or gender-less identity is a significant and serious topic today.) He mentions women in a manner that is dated. (“In many ways, women are tougher than men.”) And in this example, he is downright insulting to blonds: "Hair color is often used to stereotype individuals in apparently arbitrary ways, though when examined historically surprising links can be discovered. For example, blonds not only have more fun, they’re believed to be giddy, intellectually shallow, and perhaps sexually wanton." Really? What kind of a comment is this?
Lowe uses a tremendous amount of the following words: maybe, might, perhaps, purportedly, I think, my guess, possibly, sometimes, though this is conjecture. Sentences with these words don't affirm the authority of the author. I'm sure this was a tactic in order to sound less academic, and have the book appeal to a broader readership, but I found the style cloying. As a result, it undermined my trust in him as a reliable source and I felt I needed to question some of his facts. They could all be true, but the author did not provide footnotes or quote his sources to to document his statements.
But when Lowe tells personal anecdotes, they are entertaining and feel knowledgeable -- his story about head shaving and Buddhist monks being a fine example. Discussing early Christianity, the author is in his element, and his account of head-shaving in medieval China was also super interesting and told with more authority.
But when he refers to bowl cuts on women as "still feminine if matronly," I just want to say, stick to the facts sir, this isn't the place for your personal opinion. And an eye-roll ensued at his disbelief that Chris Rock's "work appeals to a diverse demographic." Yeah, Scott, people that aren't black watch Chris Rock. So I gave the book 3 stars, because I found the book basically enjoyable to read. But Lowe missed on too many levels. He announced at the beginning that he will not propose a universal theory of hair, and in doing so laid out his dated world view and methodology right off the bat. Post-modern theories did away with the concept that there could possibly be one truth, one story, years ago.
July 3, 2016
A competent and readable little academic volume on the cultural and religious significances of human hair, and whether it's cut off (or pulled out), grown, matted, coloured or whatnot. I nearly gave up on it when the introduction said it would attest to the religious significance, which is does as a whole, and while I found the bulk of the book not exactly extraordinary in detail, information or surprise, and I could easily have stuck with just the introductory chapter alone, none of it felt like a real waste of time. The C word should have been put in as a reason for people to lose their hair, for it has a cultural significance through its annoying randomness, but on the whole this reads as a comprehensive primer. As an entrant in this most erratic series, it's one of the better ones.
January 14, 2017
One of the more idiosyncratic entries in the Object Lesson series and one could be more or less enjoyable because of that - Mr. Lowe adopts a very conversational tone, so if this is a writer that you don't want to chat with , you're not going to have a good time. As such, this is stronger in it's anecdotal stories than in it's pure academics (as are most of the Object Lesson books). A fun read but not a surprising one.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
October 22, 2016
Another excellent volume in the ever fascinating Object Lessons series, this time exploring hair – its significance in cultures and religions across the world. Well-researched and accessibly and entertainingly written, this short book will tell you everything you could ever need to know about hair and attitudes to it. Great reading.
June 29, 2016
An academic investigation into the history of hair reveals interesting stories about cultural codes and interpretations. Recommended to any historian of mentalities and anyone interested in cultural stories.
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com
Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher via NetGalley.com
August 4, 2016
All you ever wanted to know about hair.
A surprising treatise on the history, cultural, social meanings amongst others, of hairstyles and their place in the world.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Bloomsbury Academic via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
A surprising treatise on the history, cultural, social meanings amongst others, of hairstyles and their place in the world.
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Bloomsbury Academic via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review.
April 14, 2020
About as good as it could be considering its exceedingly short length -- a sort of collection of funny anecdotes, with little holding it together. It is amusingly written, and I hope Scott Lowe will return to this topic in longer book.
July 29, 2016
3.5/5
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Review at: http://wp.me/p3X6aw-11D
September 28, 2018
Fun read! I will never look at hair with the same limited view I once had. Thanks for the follicle education.
October 13, 2019
A short and fascinating overview of religious, fashion, biological, and cultural implications of hair and it's impact on human history.
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