Beyoncé says cutting off her hair in 2013 was an “intentional” act of rebellion

Beyoncé has opened up about cutting off her luscious locks in 2013 for a pixie cut.

• READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy

Speaking to Essence Magazine to promote her new hair care line, Cécred, Beyoncé spoke about the importance hair played in her life growing up. Her mother, Tina Knowles, ran and operated her own salon, and further educated Beyoncé and her family on the importance of hair in Black culture.

When asked what prompted Beyoncé’s decision to chop off her hair in 2013, the singer revealed that it revolved around a major transformation in her life. “I remember the day I decided to just cut all my hair off. I didn’t have a particular style in mind. It wasn’t an aesthetic choice, but it was a very big emotional transformation and metamorphosis that I was going through,” she explained.

“So much of my identity as a performer has been connected to flowing hair. Cutting my hair off was me rebelling against being this woman that society thinks I’m supposed to be.”

She went on to say: “I was a new mother, and something about the liberation of becoming a mother made me want to just shed all of that. It was a physical representation of me shedding the expectations put upon me. I just wanted it off.”

Concluding on the topic, Beyoncé said: “It was very intentional. And it was what I needed to do. And after that, I became super brave. It was the first step to many more audacious decisions I made in my life and my career that have led to who I am now.”

In recent news, Beyoncé announced details of her new album ‘Renaissance Act II’ during a Verizon advertisement during the recent Super Bowl. The record is the second instalment of what is expected to be a ‘Renaissance’ trilogy, and it will come out on March 29.

‘Renaissance’ scored a four-star review from Kyann-Sian Williams for NME. Williams wrote: “On ‘Renaissance’, she’s added another remarkable record to her repertoire, this time one to continue leading the charge to bring Black culture back to the forefront of house and dance scenes. ‘Renaissance’ does precisely what it says on the tin; the revival of Black classics, and she makes sure a lot of love goes into that.”