Over the years the concept of a shaved head has mutated into something ugly. Even if it's technically "fashion friendly," or whatever silly term people put on it, one thing still goes through everybody's head when they see a white guy with a Bicced pate: "I wonder if he's a Skinhead."

Perhaps a brief history lesson is in order. The term "skinhead" originated in the UK around 1968 and actually referred to a branch of the "mod" lifestyle popular among youths at the time. At its inception, it had no political or racial implication. It was simply a branch of mod youths who preferred short-cropped hair or even shaved heads. Also known as "hard mods" or "lemon-heads," this sect of mods were more from working-class families and often had industrial jobs where long hair was a liability. Also, this sect tended to get into more brawls, and long hair was a disadvantage there as well.

Racially- and politically-aligned skinhead groups appeared mostly in the early 1970's, when groups like National Front and the British Movement (although the British Movement was founded in 1968, it didn't see a large number of skinheads in its ranks until a little later) became prevalent in the UK. Many hard mods, blaming immigrants and blacks for taking their jobs, agreed with these extremist groups' beliefs and rallied behind them.

This trend was not lost on the United States, which at the time enjoyed soaking up whatever the UK had to offer--from fashion styles to the latest bands like The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. It's no surprise that the shaved head made its way over here quickly, but having already been associated with racist groups by the UK media, few youth in America knew its actual origins and immediately began associating it with white supremacy. Thus skinheads began cropping up in American white supremacist groups, and by the late 1970s, it was a common assumption that "skinhead" simply referred to shaved-headed white males who were members of white supremacy groups.

Not everyone believed the skinhead style was the creation of white supremacists--particularly the mod gangs who founded the fashion. Some of them gave up the fashion in disgust, while others railed against the stereotype by touting openly anti-racist and leftist beliefs.

This didn't just occur in the UK, either. Many youth, particularly in the early 1980s as the punk movement was on the rise, began displaying skinhead styles in protest of racist groups. Several anti-racist groups formed around this time in the States, including the Minneapolis Baldies in 1986 and New York City-based SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice) in 1987.

I will admit that I didn't start shaving my head as a political or racial statement. I knew of the existence of anti-racist skinhead movements but didn't know what they were about otherwise. I simply shaved my head because my hair is quickly thinning out, and I decided, "Why wait?" Mine was an aesthetic choice. Aside from an occasional political T-Shirt or sticker, I do not promote politics with my body. I write about it or I talk about it, but I will not be a campaign billboard for anyone, even groups whose beliefs I strongly rally behind.

So while you may someday catch me at a SHARP meeting or rally showing my support, I'm not shaved for them, but for the sake of my shoddy self-esteem. Keep that in mind for those of you who might be getting an image of me as a pious and righteous individual. I've got flaws like everybody else.

I gotta say though, I dig being bald. It's very liberating. Try it sometime--the worst that happens is that you don't like it and you have to wait a few weeks for it to grow back. Three whole weeks with super-short hair?? Gasp! What will the neighbors think?! Let 'em think, brother. It's good for them.

If you do want to shave your head, I've got a few suggestions I've learned in the past 7 months.

1. The first time you shave your head, have some kind of aftershave nearby to soothe your poor skin. Otherwise you'll get crazy razorburn. I get it on the upper portion of the back of my neck.

2. Do NOT use cheap disposable razors unless you've got flesh of steel. Find something that's going to give an easy, comfortable shave. If you've got to splurge, do so. I really enjoyed the HeadBlade but found it to be too pricey and switched back to the Quattro. While it's not as good of a shave (not for my head, at least) it's cheaper than the HeadBlade.

4. Contrary to popular belief, having a shaved head actually makes you warmer. Hair acts as insulation, both to keep excess heat out in the summer and extra heat in during the winter. When I threw on a winter cap during the winter, I had no hair to insulate. Instead of making my head cold, however, it caused the inside of the cap to get ridiculously warm. I found myself taking my hat off every few minutes to cool off. Keep that in mind as one of the cons of having a shaved head.

5. Be prepared to get a slew of jokes and ridicule from friends, family, coworkers, etc. for awhile. I've been called a chemo patient, Howie Mandell (that's one of my favorites), Mr. Clean, even Nazi (that one, I was not so fond of). Eventually the joke will wear off, however, and people will get used to it. If not, tell them to can it.

6. Where the hell did #3 go? Well, whatever. It probably wasn't important anyway.

CLARIFICATION: A good point was brought up to me that I aught to clarify. While the fashion of the shaved head among mods was the origin of the term "skinhead," the mods were actually primarily inspired by Jamaican rude boys (the originators of ska). However the term "skinhead," to my knowledge, was never used for the rude boys but originated with the mod scene in the UK.