After the liberation of France in 1944, a wave of public retribution swept across the country, targeting thousands of women accused of having romantic or sexual relationships with German soldiers and officers during the occupation.
These women, often referred to as collaboratrices, were seen by many as traitors, regardless of the circumstances or coercion involved. One of the most visible and humiliating punishments was the public shaving of their heads, often carried out in town squares in front of jeering crowds. In many cases, these women were also paraded through the streets, subjected to beatings, verbal abuse, and social ostracism. While some of the accused had indeed collaborated willingly, others were simply victims of wartime survival or had been falsely accused. These acts of vigilante justice were rarely sanctioned by official authorities but were widespread across liberated France, reflecting the nation’s deep need to purge the shame of occupation, though often at the cost of fairness and compassion.
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