What was your opinion of male pattern baldness before you started losing your hair?

[DPAMan]

Many years ago, I posted on a forum asking about how people felt about baldness, and the responses from people who weren't going bald were your standard nonsense that I don't even need to get into. Even at that time, I found those opinions really dismissive, especially since those same people would probably be just as freaked out as anyone else if they had to deal with losing their hair. Wasn't sure who was worse - the cult of manliness people, or the people who kept going on and on about how the ladies love it, as if being able to attract a woman was the only reason a man would care about his appearance. :shakehead:

But despite sympathizing on that front, I still thought something was "off" about male pattern baldness, especially when the man was so young and it was so advanced. Two years ago, I met a guy who was 27 and a NW6; I thought he was pretty hot, but still thought, "Wow, so young to be losing his hair like this." Same with a guy who was 26 with very advanced diffusion — only peach fuzz on his scalp: "Oh wow, is he really 26?" I thought. If only I knew then what I knew now... still embarrassed at myself for having thought that.

What about the rest of you?

 

[GoldenMane]

"Glad it's him and not me"

or

"I look younger and more attractive than him, I think this girl would like me more than him"

Basically I didn't sympathise or think they're losers, but I was acutely aware that I had an advantage in the looks department and with women over them unless they had killer personalities.

 

[I.D WALKER]

It never bothered me anyhow, 'cause it was never gonna happen to me. Also I'll add that I never took issue with anyone with hair loss. That rarely stood out for me it was generally about personality for me anyway.

 

[Raz]

"I felt bad for guys losing their hair."

That was my line of thinking pretty much and voted for that. Also, I was thinking about it even before it happened to me because my father is a NW5-6, and has been that since I've been old enough to think about whether someone is bald or not.

 

[F2005]

I never thought about it at all, even when I was losing my hair. When it became very noticeable to me, that's when it became a disaster. And before I noticed my hair loss, I certainly could not fathom the way it would destroy my life. Had I known how it would affect me, I would battled it like the devil the first time I noticed the smallest signs of hair loss.

 

[kkev]

Never even noticed balding in other men until i was suffering myself. I also thought that if i ever would start losing my hair i would be fine with just buzzing it, turns out im not fine with it.

 

[Notcoolanymore]

I don't think I ever really thought about it. I didn't like the look for myself, but not because I though balding made somebody a loser. I wasn't disgusted or went around clowning bald guys either.

 

[RoyD]

I didn't even know that men below 40 could lose their hair. I just used to think that it was some rare problem or people just treating their hair badly. In fact even that thought wasn't definite because I went through life like hairloss didn't exist.

 

[Saurabhaj]

Nice reply

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I want to tell how people who are not bald tell me when they first see me.
People who knows me when they meet me tell me to do something about hairloss.Why u haven't done anything for that.One Uncle who was father of a a beautiful daughter who was of marriageable age(23 y.o girl) told me that i should do something for my balding because it will be necessary to get married.I just blush and stayed quiet and expected that topic to change asap.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

To be honest, I really didn't have much of an opinion of male pattern baldness before I starting losing any hair. It was something I really didn't take much notice of. In fact, when I was a little kid, I actually thought it was some sort of hair style where some men kept their hair on the back and sides of the head while keeping it shaved and polished on the top of their scalp. It never came to my mind at that it was a genetic health issue where the hair follicles suffered from an abnormal sensitivity to androgens, specifically DHT, which then caused miniaturization leading to the hair strands falling out.

And really? One of the poll thoughts is "I thought bald guys were losers."? Hatred towards men who suffer from baldness is taught, never instinctive.

 

[Illu2ion]

I guess most people (except us) don't have much of an opinion when you ask them about balding/being bald, but on an unconscious level it matters big time.

To the person that voted for "I thought bald guys were losers", that's pretty cruel man

 

[hellouser]

I never thought anything of it, perhaps its because i was too privileged with hair to bother thinking about it.

 

[Wolf Pack]

I saw it around me and didn't think they were losers or creepy. But I knew I don't want this and that it will significantly lower the quality of my looks.

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I guess most people (except us) don't have much of an opinion when you ask them about balding/being bald, but on an unconscious level it matters big time.

You take it for granted as it's a part of you like anything else. Only once it starts going do you realise the issues that can happen.

 

[DPAMan]

To be honest, I really didn't have much of an opinion of male pattern baldness before I starting losing any hair. It was something I really didn't take much notice of. In fact, when I was a little kid, I actually thought it was some sort of hair style where some men kept their hair on the back and sides of the head while keeping it shaved and polished on the top of their scalp.

That is too cute!

And really? One of the poll thoughts is "I thought bald guys were losers."? Hatred towards men who suffer from baldness is taught, never instinctive.

I agree, but the thing is, I'm sure most of us lived long enough to have been exposed to the idea that "bald = loser" before it happened to us.

 

[GoldenMane]

You're right Fred, karma is a b**ch. I wasn't one of those guys who went around making fun of other people's looks, I generally tried to avoid those topics, but I certainly felt I had an advantage over balding guys, probably felt a bit bad for them too. Oh well.
You never think it's going to happen to you, or if it does, it's not supposed to happen until you're old. But it does, and you find yourself a 20 something year old man on hormone altering drugs and rogaine researching hair transplants...
Certainly never expected to spend the tail end of my 20s obsessing over hair loss, but in all likelihood, none of us did when we were younger.

I was playing Batman Arkham Knight last night. The good guys are pretty much all NW1 (Except Alfred), Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Gordon. The bad guys are disfigured, bald or balding. Joker has insane temple recession, Penguin is bald, Scarecrow, who knows, the dreadlocked skullet preacher and Riddler has some temple recession combover going on.

Villains have to be ugly, so usually they're bald, disfigured or both.

 

[F2005]

It seems to be a common theme that most of us never really thought about hair loss until it happened to us. Baldness is one of those things that we never know how bad it will affect us until it actually happens to us. That is why you get plenty of people with full heads of hair (or the most miniscule hair loss) saying things like "oh, if I lost my hair, I would just shave my head and move on. No big deal." But then when it actually happens to them, I absolutely GUARANTEE they'll be singing a different tune.

 

[Agustin Araujo]

I agree, but the thing is, I'm sure most of us lived long enough to have been exposed to the idea that "bald = loser" before it happened to us.

Yes, that is correct. Though, I think it's more like some of us just got exposed to the idea that "bald = loser" rather than most of us lived long enough to have been exposed to the idea that "bald = loser". At least that's what I've observed, and according to the poll results.

 

[DPAMan]

Yes, that is correct. Though, I think it's more like some of us just got exposed to the idea that "bald = loser" rather than most of us lived long enough to have been exposed to the idea that "bald = loser". At least that's what I've observed, and according to the poll results.

Fair enough. Whether innate or learned, it's definitely something that has crossed people's minds, though thankfully not as often as I expected if these poll results mean anything.

 

[lkm370]

Before I started balding, I actually thought there was a cure for baldness. lol I thought people who went bald (like full NW7s) could regrow it with some cream or pills

 

[crazycroc]

I thought it was something that happened when you got really old