I rarely plan Smorgasbord Sundays posts in advance because I like to let inspiration hit me between the eyes spontaneously without shattering my spectacles.
This time I knew a couple of days in advance what I wanted to write about – Bald Men!
It may seem very random (and I suppose it is), but the recent remarks made by Justin Bieber were the instigator.
In case you don’t keep up with entertainment news, Justin Bieber publicly commented on the follicle-challenged Prince William in Rollercoaster magazine, a UK publication.
They quoted him as saying:
“I mean, there are things to prevent that nowadays, like Propecia,” Bieber said. He added, “I don’t know why he doesn’t just get those things, those products. You just take Propecia and your hair grows back. Have you not got it over here?”
Before you continue reading my post, I would like to state for the record that I’m not a fan of Prince William (or any of the Royal Family – they’re just people to me). Also, I’m not a fan of Justin Bieber or his music. It’s just a personal preference – no hatred toward either of these individuals.
In this post, I’ll tell you not only what I think of Justin Bieber’s comment, but also what I think of bald men in general.
I’m very attracted to bald men who embrace their baldness instead of seeing it as a negative trait. Why? A lot of times, people hide behind their hair and use it to distract from something they’re insecure about. But, if you’re bald, you don’t have that security blanket, and to me, that confidence mixed with vulnerability is extremely sexy!
But I wouldn’t say that I’m only attracted to bald men. I like men with hair, too. And, of course, you have to take personality into consideration because looks aren’t everything – they’re just one element.
Going back to Justin Bieber’s comment now…
I’m not going to judge him harshly because of what he said. I realize that he’s just 18 years old. Sure, while he’s not a baby, he’s certainly not fully mature yet. And c’mon…when you were a teenager, I’m sure that you’ve also said or done stupid things.
That being said, Justin isn’t like most teenagers because he’s a celebrity. Things that he says (whether they’re true or false) are magnified more than things the average teenager would say. Also, just being in the public eye all the time tends to make even kids grow up faster and enter the adult world sooner.
It wasn’t surprising that he’d say such a thing, though. It seems like an unnecessary cheap shot at Prince William, who’s already made fun of by the media.
Making fun of bald men seems to be all too common, and it’s really something that annoys me. I don’t know why people feel the need to belittle others just based on how much hair they have (or don’t have).
It’s even worse when women start losing their hair. Society doesn’t seem as quick to accept this condition, and the person suffers strange looks and ridicule from others.
Or, hey, remember when Britney Spears got her hair shaved off completely? The media jumped on it like a pack of wolves and called her crazy. Right…because what woman would want to lose all her hair, right? *Rolls eyes* Sure, Britney has had problems, but just shaving your head doesn’t mean you’re psychotic!
As a female, sure, I don’t want to lose my hair. And some might say, “Well, if you think it’s so liberating, go shave your head!” If, one day, I naturally start balding, I will do my best to embrace the change, although it will be hard. And to those people who love hair so much, an equally ridiculous comeback would be something immature like, “Well, if you think having hair is so great, grow your hair down to your ankles!” Arguing with the irrational and hot-headed only leaves both parties feeling like you stuck needles into your eyes. Waste of time.
At least with men, balding is more acceptable. In fact, I think a lot of men just assume that eventually they’ll go bald when they’re very old. That’s how common it is.
(Interesting side note: Even when my dad passed away at the age of 71, he still had a full head of hair! He said that it was thinner than what he had when he was in his 20s, but he didn’t have any bald patches. So I guess it was in his genetics.)
In Justin Bieber’s comment, there’s the underlying assumption that just because a person is going bald, they should be trying to reverse it because it’s a bad thing.
Not always.
Some men I’ve known have just shaved their entire head once they noticed they were balding because they “might as well just get used to it” and work with it.
To me, although it’s drastic, I find that course of action really empowering and inspiring. Instead of looking at hair loss like some sort of weakness to overcome, you flip it into something that’s powerful. You take charge, and it’s liberating. Tell me if you don’t find that sexy! (Plus just think about all the time you can save in the shower…haha!)
Even if men don’t go full throttle with the razor and they just let the balding unfold naturally, I still think that’s fine. This is a part of life, of aging, and of sometimes just genetics. We don’t all have to look like we’re 20 years old when we reach the age of 45. We don’t always have to seek the Fountain of Youth or the point of perfection.
There are many things about ourselves that we can put effort into changing – becoming more patient, going out of our way to help the underdog, and learning to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. Ridiculing men for going bald seems like such a First World Problem.
What are your thoughts of Justin Bieber’s comment? What do you think of bald men in general? Have you been stressed out about hair loss?
OOoh, bald men! Whenever I point out some attractive man, my husband usually says, “Yep…he’s bald.” My husband is just about bald; I shave his head very short. But I’ve always found bald men attractive: Sean Connery and Patrick Stewart to just name two!
The Biebs is just young.
Martha S. recently posted: Neon! And glitter!
Hey Martha S.!
Who knows? Maybe when Justin gets older, he’ll shave his hair off…or his hair will fall out.
It’s funny you should say that because when I was in high school, I was really into bald men (haha, sounds weird when I type it out). I used to point out bald guys on the street I thought were hot to my best friend. We would classify them as “Naturally Bald” or “Artificially Bald”. Naturally bald meant that they lost their hair through the natural process. Artificially bald meant that they shaved their hair off. 🙂 We would debate which was hotter, and finally we agreed that bald men in general are awesome. 😀
I think Justin Bieber should shut up about other people’s hair.
I don’t normally find bald men attractive, but I really don’t like it when they try to cover it up. Combovers are worse than being bald. I have a relative who is wearing a wig actually. In that case I don’t really mind it because I had no idea it was a wig until someone told me. So it was a very good wig. What I don’t like with people trying to cover their baldness up is that they often fail terribly.
Nerd warning: In Star Trek The Next Generation the captain, Jean Luc Picard, is played by Patrick Stewart. Superbald (and I have to admit, I do fancy him…)! People did ask him about that. “In the future there would be super easy ways to get your hair back, why is Picard bald?” Stewart responded that “in the future no one would care”. Lovely thought, isn’t it?
Sarah recently posted: L.A. Colors – Voodoo
Hey Sarah!
I think on The Soup, they mentioned Justin’s commenting on Prince William’s hair. And then they showed a side-by-side picture of Justin and Velma (from Shaggy). It was hilarious because they were wearing the same glasses and seemed to have the same hairstyle, too! 😀
Wow, yeah, sounds like a really good-quality wig if you can’t tell that it’s a wig! It must’ve been extremely expensive. Even the ‘cheap’ ones are expensive.
And what an awesome answer Patrick Stewart gave! Right on!
We missed The Soup last week! Better DVR it!
Martha S. recently posted: Neon! And glitter!
I miss it quite a lot, even though it’s one of the few shows that consistently makes me burst out laughing. I really need to pay more attention to when it’s on instead of just catching it by accident!
I love the article, it was beautifully written…. take it a bald man. Thank you.
Hey Robbie!
Hehehe, you’re welcome! 😉
Be bald and proud! It’s sexy!
I think that was a silly comment from Justin Beiber. I don’t know why he was talking about Prince William’s hair in the first place. I agree with you on the bald man thing though. It must take courage to be bald, and I think it is sexy.
Brianna recently posted: OPI Not Like The Movies
Hey Brianna!
They must’ve asked him about it specifically. Not sure – I didn’t see the entire article. Yeah, it is weird why he’d comment about someone else’s hair like that, especially Prince William’s. Seems random.
Hi Mary! I LUV your blog! I know this has nothing to do with this article but why are some basecoats milky white? I’ve just always wondered that.
Thanks in advance! Mikal Soo
Hey Mimi Soo!
Thank you! 😀 Glad you’re enjoying it. Even though it does take a lot of work, I think blogging is incredibly rewarding!
A lot of milky-white base coats are ridge-fillers. But if they’re not, the slightly milky colour actually helps a little to improve opacity when you’re painting on colours that are sheer. For example, those sheer, milky, opalescent polishes often have better coverage with the help of the base coat’s milkiness.
Not sure what the actual ingredient is in the base coat that makes it whitish, though…
Great post, Mary! For me, you hit the nail on the (pardon the pun here) head. Hair has become something of a sex symbol in and of itself through the ages; think Samson and Delilah. He lost his strength when she cut off his hair. I also think that a man who embraces his oncoming baldness is very self-confident. Sadly, it’s not so easy for a woman. I have very, very thin, fine hair. I never had a lot of hair, but as I get older, more and more scalp is showing and my ponytail, when I can actually grab some hair together, is so puny no elastic will stay on, so I have to pin it up. It is difficult to handle, so to speak, and I find myself dreaming of a wig someday, but then I realize it’s just shallowness and my insecurity speaking. my husband doesn’t seem to mind what my hair looks like, but he does care passionately about what is IN my head. Just goes to show, passion and sexiness actually start in the brain. For many of us, it’s the sexiest organ in the body, and I will always believe it was intended that way! Again, great post! 😉 ^^
Hey Sandy!
Hehe, I like the pun! 😉
Very well put! Your attitude is very refreshing, and your husband sounds like a great guy who’s more about depth than just the superficial surface level. I’m very happy to hear that you’re thinking positively and pushing forward even though thinning hair can be quite stressful. Good for you!
Wow, that was a pretty thoughtless thing for Justin Bieber to say. I personally would rather see a guy bald and confident than a guy who clearly has issues with aging/hair loss/whatever and tries to comb over the last of his hair. My dad has been basically bald my whole life. I had to go pretty far back in the family archives (haha) to find photos of him with a full head of hair (accompanied with bell bottoms and open-collared silk shirts, lol). My dad had a long career in the military and so I grew up seeing him and other military men with short (or nonexistent) hair. I just never thought about it, and in time, it actually came to be the look I prefer. To me, shorter (or no) hair looks more clean-cut.
As for a woman, I agree with you that balding seems to be less acceptable, which is a real shame. What if you’re a woman and you sadly contract cancer, or a hair-loss disease like alopecia? I did read a very inspirational true story one time about a teenage girl who suffered hair loss and became completely bald. After struggling with her condition, and wearing a wig, she finally accepted it and just lived her everyday life bald. When she ran for school president, she prepared a slide show of famous bald leaders. I found it very uplifting and inspiring that she developed the confidence to be fine with herself rather than feeling insecure about her appearance.
This comment is way longer than I thought it would be, I apologize. Apparently I have very defined views of baldness.
Hey Jessica!
Who knows? Maybe Justin was just trying to get attention. Still, I think there are other ways (better ways) than knocking someone down to raise yourself up.
Some men actually look better with little or no hair. It has to do with their bone structure and how nice their eyes look, I think. Less hair helps put the focus on other features.
I used to work with a woman who was born without any hair on her head or body. Can’t remember the particular health condition it was, but I found it really inspiring how she had to grow up like that. It forces a person to become really strong. She didn’t even have eyelashes or eyebrows! But, the cool thing is that she also had no armpit or leg hair. Imagine how nice that must be! 🙂
No need to apologize for leaving a long comment. 🙂 I love hearing what readers like you think. It’s interesting, and it keeps the conversation going. Thank you for that!
I’m with you on the bald men! And ones with some gray, or better yet, gray in their beards. Hello! (I might be showing my aging, lol…)
And yeah, I would have thought Justin Bieber’s handlers would have taught him better than to criticize other celebs on the record. Unless they told him to make inflammatory remarks to get more attention… in which case, it’s apparently working! haha
Emily recently posted: irresistible indies: meant for each other
Hey Emily!
We all have our own little things we look for that seem attractive. 🙂 Some people really love crooked teeth (which actually aren’t as common now – seems like a lot of people get braces). No judgement here! Beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder, and what a lovely thing that is!
Very true. But if they actually encouraged Justin to say such thing, I think it was in poor taste. In any case, it looks like there has been a lot of backlash to his comments in the media. Hopefully he’s learned something from it.
Hmmm… it wasn’t until your post that I heard about our local-celebrities hair “comment”… Justin Bieber has been both known for, and also ridiculed, for his flowing long hair so if anything he should be sensitive to the issue. I also find his comment as educated as me going out and preaching about the diet of an elderly man without teeth… (I don’t think people should preach on issues that they are not familiar with).
As per bald men… I say embrace it… some men wear a shaved head so well 😉
Marta recently posted: Guest Post for Moonchild
Hey Marta!
Hehe, I remember when Justin first came on the scene and kept flipping his hair. Before him, I had never seen a guy do that. Hehe, he ‘invented’ a move!
You mean you’re not an expert on toothless elderly men’s diets? Marta, now I’m just disappointed in you. I mean, I look up to you. I turn to you for help and guidance. I need you to tell me what I can eat because I have no teeth, I’m a man, and I’m very old. Oh, wait…I’m not. 😛 Hehe! But I still look up to you! 😀
Thanks for the article….
Im a 27 yr old guy who has lost 70 of his hair…due to the dreaded male pattern baldness…
people always make jokes about me going bald…I dont mind it much but then it gets tiresome…the same people making the same jokes everytime we meet..the holidays are the worst…friends and especially female relatives telling me how old i look….n many have even suggested that i get married or else i wont get a girl…yeah…girls i have know since our schooldays saying i look old and that i should settle down before i go completely bald and no girl chooses me..so yeah ..people are mean..it hits you hard cause i ve been losing my hair since i was 23…
Hey Raj!
I’m so sorry to hear that you’ve been the target of many jokes, just because of your hair! Although it must have been extremely painful, on the bright side, I think that it has made you a stronger person, so just remember that. There’s always a silver lining for every dark cloud.