When you are Cursed you have a curse mark applied to weapons and pickups you can't use. So you turn to your sprite and other things to protect you.
HOWEVER!
If you perform a shield bash while Cursed you take damage just like if you were trying to use a weapon.
All I would like is for a Curse Icon to show up on the Shield Meter or to have the Shield Bash Disabled while Cursed. This would still make it so players are cautious about actions while Cursed but they won't take surprise damage.
Having shield bash cursed really causes some problems, especially without an icon. As long as it's marked in some way, the curse itself becomes more fair.