Why the raised eyebrows and snickering? Sexy bald men do abound in different states of baldness.
Shame on men who give other bald guys a bad name, for their failure to embrace their own baldness by being unkempt, unbecoming, and wearing their hair in mullets, comb-overs, hairy halos and wispy ponytails – the very reasons for raised eyebrows and sniggers when bald and beautiful are uttered in the same breath. Totally uncalled for towards those who do wear the look with dignity and panache.
Every day I see attractive men who don’t have a full head of hair, or any hair for that matter. The elderly uncle with the close cropped flaxen hairdo, whom I buy cream puffs from. My Russian neighbour, who clearly knows he has a well-shaped head, and cleverly keeps it clean shaven. A young investment banker I met recently who did a none-too-shabby take on Tom Ford’s graceful widow’s peak. Buzz-cut hipsters I spy when I’m in the city on occasion. Countless number of men who aren’t shy, but are cool about having a more than slightly thinning pate. Bravo!
In the celluloid world, bald is definitely hot too, looking at the likes of Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, Vin Diesel, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson, Billy Zane, Woody Harrelson, LL Cool J., Tyrese Gibson, the list goes on, and this is just counting a fraction of those with clean pates. One doesn’t have to say, off with it every time, just because one’s hair is starting to thin and one’s hairline is receding. If I were a guy confronted with hair loss issues and don’t quite fancy a clean-shaven look, I would also take a leaf out of actor Jude Law, who pulls off a modern Rin Tin Tin so sexily. Or Josh Duhamel, with his cool-kid faux-hawk. Perhaps even Superman star Henry Cavill, who, with a receding hairline, still manages to achieve his super-hero quiff haircut. And then there’s yummy Daniel Craig, with his normcore banker short crop that works with any sharp suit.
In fashion, no one tackles male pattern baldness with more exquisite élan than Tom Ford. His famous widow’s peak crop is tended to constantly, like a precious garden. I read that he washes his hair at least twice a day, and is particularly meticulous about scrubbing his scalp. Greasy, stringy, thinning hair — so not beautiful, best to avoid, hair or no, if you don’t want raised eyebrows and snickering.
The world is in fact bursting with hairdo inspirations for the follicly-challenged man, so why some chaps are still hung up on having a full head of hair, I’ll never know. Bedhead poster boy Robert Pattinson has awesome hair, I won’t deny it, but not embracing one’s baldness is like lamenting one’s curves or one’s freckles. It’s different strokes for different folks.
I’m not being facetious when I say that I don’t necessarily find a bald or balding man less attractive than one with all his hair. There is, in fact, something manlier about a man with less. If you think I’m not making sense, actually I am. A lot of it. Because men who go bald at a young(er) age have higher levels of the male hormone testosterone. They are biologically manlier indeed. There lies the well-explained attraction.
Bald or balding is beautiful, even if you’re vertically challenged and/or tipping the scales. It’s all about finding the right look and wearing it proudly. Accept hair loss for what it is – not an affliction, but a distinctive personal feature. Own it, then evolve with it, change your look every few months or every year, have fun with it, look amazing, and I guarantee you no Trump toupee would be necessary.