 The woman is required by the biblical passage to have loosened hair during the ritual; this is often taken to be a symbol of the woman's supposed shame, but according to Josephus, it was merely the standard behaviour for anyone accused of any crime, when they appeared before the Sanhedrin.The Mishnah also states that the garment she was wearing was ripped to expose her heart.A rope was tied above her breasts so that her clothes did not completely fall off.