The bob haircut is not a Chinese fad.

So what's going on? An interestingly large proportion of young Chinese girls have really short, androgynous hair. I first assumed that, like school uniforms, it was a parent's way of enforcing the idea that they are students and not fashion icons.

A couple of years ago, my Chinese friend Debra told me that parents often shave their toddler's heads in the summer because it's cooler and it will make their hair grow back thicker and more beautiful. Even though that technically only covered three year olds in the summertime... I was content with that theory until last month.

So my 8 year old student Linda had the longest, THICKEST hair. Last month she came in with a haircut that can only be interpreted as a punishment. Of course, because I'm a westerner with an underdeveloped sense of face, I blurted out, "What happened to your hair?"

Curiosity #3:
Why do Chinese girls have such short hair? Here's the truth: Linda said, "My mom cut it off because long hair isn't healthy." I asked around about what that really meant. I've discovered that many parents believe that long hair takes more nutrients from the body, specifically the brain. Mothers will cut their daughter's hair in hopes of making them smarter.

I knew it had something to do with school!