“Fete-i-quette”: a hybrid of party (en francais) + etiquette.  It is our fresh, light-hearted, reinvigorated, 21^st century interpretation of age-old traditions.

A friend of mine rescinded the offer of bridesmaidship to a friend because she didn’t like the girl’s new haircut.  Ok, in this case the bridesmaid-to-be shaved her head and got kicked out of the wedding party.  Is this understandable or rude as hell?

Dear Blackballed for being Bald,

Let’s remember the purpose of a bridesmaid: to support the bride, be happy for her, help her to alleviate stressful moments, celebrate with her.  Along with that comes the aesthetic aspect of dressing the dictated part—the sometimes-dreaded dress, the shoes, the makeup, the hair, or in this instance the lack thereof.

As with so many other predicaments in life, it helps to examine people’s intentions, not just the action.  Could baldy have decided to shave her head to make a statement? Or maybe she was an eccentric type all along, and the bride should have been prepared for anything?  If it is an instance of the former, maybe it’s a good idea not to have baldy in the wedding party—the head-shave could just be a precursor to all sorts of wedding day shenanigans.  And perhaps there was an impending rift in their friendship that was brewing way before she busted out the clippers.  If it’s a case of the latter, know who your friends are, and choose to love them in spite of their style choices, or don’t and accept the consequences!