Why women were shaved in France during the 1940s.

After France was liberated by the Allies, many women were taken to the streets where they were publicly humiliated.

These women were accused of “collaboration horizontale”. Their heads were shaven, as to take away their most beautiful traits. Some would be painted on their naked bodies with tar or lipstick, but all of them would be paraded in the streets.

Most of these so called collaborators were simply young women who had slept with the occupying Germans. Some would even be put on parade with the babies they concieved from the Germans. Some had to sleep with Germans to get food, others fell in love, and some were forced to. To the French it mattered little, as all lf then would be categorized as traitors and would be publicly humiliated. The Allies and even some French were disgusted by these acts.

These actions also happened in Belgium, Italy, Norway and the Netherlands. (Though in Netherland it wasn’t as widespread.)