Comment Section for Opinion | Who Was the Real ‘Shaved Woman of Chartres’? - The New York Times

The New York Times article discusses the history and reinventions of Simone Touseau, infamously known as 'The Shaved Woman of Chartres.' In 1944, a photograph of Touseau, shaven-headed and marked with a swastika, was taken by Robert Capa, becoming a symbol of post-occupation France's brutality. Historians later revealed Touseau was a Nazi sympathizer, having worked as a translator for the German forces during the occupation. Recently, a novel published in France recasts Touseau as a woman scorned, which the author argues simplifies Touseau's complex history and dilutes her agency. The article encourages a frank contemplation of such narratives to understand better the historical context and the roles women played during WWII in France.