The Baldness Syndrome

Being an inveterate observer of the social scene, I have for some time noticed the spread of bald heads in London.
Many of these shining pates belong to young men who must spend a fortune keeping their heads completely hairless, but they are not alone
because I noticed in a bar yesterday three middle-aged men proudly displaying gleaming skulls to all and sundry.
Now they may, of course, have been somewhat follically challenged and decided to make a virtue of necessity by going the whole hog, but it caused me to ponder the peculiar nature of these hairless ones, because it seems but a short while ago that men would wear wigs or toupées and spend their money at trichologists rather than be seen as bald.
I don't know if this behaviour is noticeable elsewhere but I'm wondering how it came into being.

The now slightly outdated picture to the left of this post not withstanding, I took the decision to have my hair cut drastically short about six months ago. I've not gone for the full-on Patrick Stewart/Walter White, but whenever I go to the Barbers (about once a month) I get my head shaved, which means my hair never gets more than about half-a-centimetre at its longest. It is my intention to go the full Patrick Stewart at some point, if only to see what it looks like.

My main reason is that, unfortunately, I've inherited my father's male pattern baldness - although while he managed to get to his early forties before it became noticeable, most of my hair was gone by my early twenties. I'm not a vain man by any measure, but it can be a very uncomfortable thing to lose one's hair at such an age. When I tried keeping my hair long, I couldn't help but think that a) it looked noticeably thin and b) it looked like I had the mange. Cutting it extremely short has been a real confidence booster, not to mention making the whole thing much more manageable.

...and if I chose to grow out the beard, I'll be able to improv a Heisenberg costume for any fancy dress party I get invited to. I've even got the fedora ready.

Going Kojak is popular over here as well. I'm pretty sure white guys followed black guys in chrome domery. And although I wouldn't bet the farm on it, I'm pretty sure black guys followed Michael Jordan down the path of the high-speed-low-drag hairdo.

Anyway, as lumpy as my noggin is, it's a good thing I have a full head-o-hair. Otherwise I'd probably be required to wear a hat in public.

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Originally Posted by Sancho

Going Kojak is popular over here as well. I'm pretty sure white guys followed black guys in chrome domery. And although I wouldn't bet the farm on it, I'm pretty sure black guys followed Michael Jordan down the path of the high-speed-low-drag hairdo.

Anyway, as lumpy as my noggin is, it's a good thing I have a full head-o-hair. Otherwise I'd probably be required to wear a hat in public.

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Yes it's funny how baldness affects human behaviour. Years ago I worked with a guy who was bald except for a few strands of hair that he scrupulously combed across a 90% bald head. One day he got into an argument with a colleague and shouted: 'Why don't you get out of my hair'?
Back came the obvious reply: 'Which one?"

I have to say as a woman of 27, I find it very attractive.... is that weird? The again, a full head of hair is also attractive. I'm coming across as a man eater now. Ooops, I meant to keep it quieter for longer

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Originally Posted by livi

I have to say as a woman of 27, I find it very attractive.... is that weird? The again, a full head of hair is also attractive. I'm coming across as a man eater now. Ooops, I meant to keep it quieter for longer

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No I don't find it weird. For a long time it's been known that for some reason women are attracted to bald men but nobody seems to know why.

I would look awful bald but some guys can pull it off. Working out helps I think.

Bald women might turn on someone who is turned on by Nazi Collaborators.

I read a history of the Byzantine empire recently. Defeated political enemies were not treated well. If the victors wanted to show mercy, instead of killing the men and boys, they would blind and castrate them (cutting off, as it were, their dynastic potential). The women were shaved bald and sent to nunneries. Did they really think that no man could possible be sufficiently aroused by a bald woman to impregnate her? What is it with the Middle Eastern infatuation (shared by Muslims) with women's hair?

I dig some guys that rock a Kojak, I think it's their confidence that I'm attracted to.

Haha. You want confidence? Here's confidence for Ya: a middle aged dude going clubbing in a too tight Member's Only jacket while sporting a comb-over fashioned out of a single sideburn. Watch out, girls. (Also, looking good Uncle Alvin :thumbsup:!)

As for bald headed women, The Professor had something to say about that:

http://youtu.be/pHBE_pOOP-M
Professor Longhair, Bald Head

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Originally Posted by Ecurb

Bald women might turn on someone who is turned on by Nazi Collaborators.

I read a history of the Byzantine empire recently. Defeated political enemies were not treated well. If the victors wanted to show mercy, instead of killing the men and boys, they would blind and castrate them (cutting off, as it were, their dynastic potential). The women were shaved bald and sent to nunneries. Did they really think that no man could possible be sufficiently aroused by a bald woman to impregnate her? What is it with the Middle Eastern infatuation (shared by Muslims) with women's hair?

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I do not find bald women attractive, especially as some of them are pop singers seeking to replace zero talent with notoriety.
On the other hand, I've always had a thing about long hair on women. I was standing behind a woman at a supermarket checkout recently and she was wearing a well-cut winter coat with absolutely gorgeous long brown locks falling over the back collar.I thought that she was perhaps about twenty but when she started to be served I saw that she was somewhat older. There's more than a little truth in the saying that hair is a woman's crowning glory.

I think you're right Bean. The guys/contractors at work are always commenting on and touching my hair. When I say "Get the hell out of my hair" I mean it, literally.

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Originally Posted by papayahed

I think you're right Bean. The guys/contractors at work are always commenting on and touching my hair. When I say "Get the hell out of my hair" I mean it, literally.

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In the UK that would be tantamount to rape and worthy of instant dismissal with questions asked in parliament and a judicial committee set up to establish the exact level of criminality involved and the PC brigade, with Polly Toynbee at the forefront, would be calling for blood. Meanwhile, the powers that shouldn't be would be beavering away trying to excuse paedophilia.

Although I'm partial to women's long hair per se, I really go for the blue/black variety of Asian women. I once had a Chinese girl friend whose hair was regretably short and I asked her if she had always had her hair that way. She said no and she showed me a photograph taken on her wedding day some years previously. I have to say that she looked much nicer with a long dark mane reaching to her waist.

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Originally Posted by Emil Miller

Although I'm partial to women's long hair per se, I really go for the blue/black variety of Asian women. I once had a Chinese girl friend whose hair was regretably short and I asked her if she had always had her hair that way. She said no and she showed me a photograph taken on her wedding day some years previously. I have to say that she looked much nicer with a long dark mane reaching to her waist.

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My hair is long, dark and worn with a loose curl and I get a lot of compliments on it.... particularly from other women.

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Originally Posted by livi

My hair is long, dark and worn with a loose curl and I get a lot of compliments on it.... particularly from other women.

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Infinitely preferable to a bald head