Solange Knowles has shaved her head.

The 23-year-old sister of Beyonce Knowles has ditched her flowing brown locks in favor of a closely cropped hairstyle, and has even taken to her blog to discuss her new look. She wrote on her Twitter page: “i wanna cut all myHair (sic) off & have a fade phase.”

Solange was spotted sporting the new style in Los Angeles last Wednesday, but seemed too nervous to debut it in the evening. When she walked the red carpet at a Dita Von Teese burlesque show, she had covered her shaven head with a long wig.

Later tweets explained the singer’s reason for making the drastic change. “i. just. wanted. to. be. free. from. the. bondage. that. black. women sometimes. put. on. themselves. with. hair.” Apparently there was a cost benefit from the decision as well: “this. phase. of. my. life. i. want to spend . the time. the energy. and the money. on something else. not in the hair salon.”

Solange has previously revealed she finds it hard having such a famous older sister, adding she sometimes lies about the family connection when asked. Referring to Britney Spears’ infamous 2008 breakdown, which saw her shave her head and attack a car with an umbrella, Solange said: “I get asked about Beyonce all the time but I try and make fun of it. I have to have fun with it or I’ll turn into Britney - shave my head and go totally crazy.”

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