Why do people in movies who are about to kill themselves cut their hair off first?

I would say it is a sign of self-hatred. Hair is very important for one self-esteem and when that is gone..a preclude to the ultimate act of self-loathing.

Many movies who show disturbed young people (like in Wild Orchid) also show them cutting their head off upharzardly. A sign of rebellion also in some cases, I would say.

Cutting one's hair before suicide has been documented throughout history, and has been linked to the person's frustration of the situation. Further studies show that it is a subconscious act of self loathing attributed to a person's mistakes, often mistakes that could have been avoided. In some instances, the person committing the act of cutting hair/suicide are in a situation that they cannot control (like the girl in Legends of the Fall), and the cutting represents a buried hate that the person feels they must release in some fashion before death. Much similar to when a person kills others then kills themselves...why don't they just kill themselves and be done with it? Their hatred and anger is so strong, the act of cutting hair or killing others relieves part of the pressure before killing themselves.

It's very effective for dramatic purposes. You know, we've seen so much death and violence in the movies that we're desensitized to it. We're still pretty sensitive to watching people cut off their hair.

There's a scene in the movie Smoke Signals where a character gets out a pocketknife, and you don't know what he's going to do with it. Then he begins to cut off his hair and the girls in the audience yell, "No!"

This is the Muslim Martyr way. If you do not cleanse the body and soul through prayer you won't get your 72 virgins

Why do they feel the need to be naked (in movies) when popping pills in the tub. Wouldn't you just go in clothed and pop the pills???

There is no reasoning or logic with a person who would kill themselves... more then likely the scenes that you describe are for dramatic flair

getting rod of the old... a way of moving on. wen they moveon from their hair, they can deal with suicide. they also want to do it because it has no more use wen they are dead, so they stall onkilling themselves with this. its hard for me to explain.....but i know.

it is a symbol of death. the long beatiful hair will be gone, just like the suicide victim......

it is a sign of complete fustration. Being at one's witt's end. Like you want to just pull your hair out.

it seems there is not any "data" the two way. i in my opinion do no longer think of there became into time for Brigham youthful to obtain the information, provide the order, and it to be completed interior the time-physique that each thing occurred.

They are taking their anger out on themselves. They make themselves 'ugly' so that they feel more unlovable and more like they deserve to die.

Its a symbolic stripping away of self.