How did prostitutes in Bible times flaunt themselves?
In Bible times, prostitutes flaunted themselves by removing the customary head coverings and appearing unveiled in public, thereby openly signaling their profession. In that culture, a woman normally wore a veil, so going uncovered marked her as a prostitute. This was the accepted way they advertised their trade.
Les explains that in the culture of that day, people were used to the veil, and for a woman to be out in public with nothing over her head raised the question of what kind of woman would flaunt herself that way. The answer is the prostitutes. They would flaunt themselves by removing the coverings from their head, unveiling their profession. Since that was the mindset of 99.9% of the population, Paul dealt with the issue under those circumstances. Les notes that today custom has changed, which has affected interpretation of some things, but the passage is still part of the Word of God. He also says a woman being shorn or shaved would put her at the same level as the prostitutes, so common sense would keep her covered.