Who says I don't write enough fashion posts for men? I'm going for it, diving straight into a topic that's undeniably male. Next to being short, losing their hair (can we be frank and say "going bald"?) is something that men get awfully touchy about.
For whatever reason, hair is still equated with virility. I guess ever since Samson met Delilah, men have been watchful of their locks.
What should men do to curb the wrath of nature? Get hair transplants? Wear toupees?
Hell no! The macho thing is to embrace your impending baldness. Better yet, get a head start and shave your head. That's the advice of Daniel Jones, a writer for the style section of The New York Times. Reports Jones:
Head shaving has gone prime time. And not a moment too soon for guys like me, who would never have had the guts to take such a drastic measure if so many men hadn’t acted so bravely to make an odd look so mysteriously hip.
The advantages of head shaving, says Jones, "are almost too many to count." Among them: "No chance of going gray, no wet hair after a shower or swim, no haircut bill, no bed head, no risk of infestation with hair lice from your third grader."
But let's put those practicalities aside and go back to the real issue, which is whether having a head of hair is still essential to your ego (and, by extension, your career). I know a couple of male lawyers who spent a small fortune on hair transplants, though I can't say that it altered the course of their careers (or love life).
Personally, I don't really understand why men are so sensitive about going bald. I rarely notice whether a man has thinning hair. And I've never heard of a woman who refused to date someone because of his hairline. (It's not the hair loss but the combover that's the deal killer.)
Of course, if you are already in a positon of power, the issue recedes, so to speak. That said, if I had to make an aesthetic choice between someone with thinning hair versus a bald guy, I'd go for the baldy. I don't know if it's a Yul Brynner or Patrick Stewart thing, but I think bald men exude a certain authority and mystique.
Indeed, The Am Law 100 is full of luminaries who are bald—like Latham & Watkins's Robert Dell, Jones Day's Joe Sims, and Kirkland & Ellis's James Sprayregen (pictured above, left to right). Whether they achieved that look by shaving their heads, I have no idea. As for whether they exude the same sexuality as Patrick Stewart—well, I'll let you decide.
What do you think? Shouldn't male lawyers with thinning hair just take it all off? Wouldn't that elevate the style quotient at your firm?
Related post: "Your Gray Hair."
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Yep, losing hair annoys most men in their 40's and 50's.
Posted by: Jared | October 12, 2017 at 06:44 PM
Not everyone likes a Bald head and there are many people who look attractive with a Bald head. It does not depend on what others like, what you like is more important. If you are happier with an attractive bald look and don't want to go for any medical procedures for your hair, you can always go for it. But, if you are looking for some treatment for your hair, you can always go for different hair loss treatment for men and hair transplant procedures available nowadays.
Posted by: Kanika Gupta | February 22, 2016 at 07:06 AM
Receding hairline does not always look bad, it depends on how you present your balding head and depends on confidence how you carry it. There are many hair loss treatment for men and many hair transplant surgeries, but many a times even the transplanted hair does not look good on an ageing face. Bald look looks better on elderly men and more attractive.
Posted by: Ruby Skipper | February 22, 2016 at 06:27 AM
Going bald is becoming new style lately so I don't think there is an issue with it. I have hair and sometimes I shave it all why? Just to feel free of hair, its really nice to feel nothing on your head ;-)
Posted by: Azedine | September 18, 2014 at 07:40 PM
I guess men going bald is not an issue anymore. However, women going bald bears the public stigma.
Posted by: Kat | May 29, 2012 at 10:48 PM
Bald is good for some guys with thinking hair; for others, the answer is a transplant, or Toppik.
There are a lot of women who don't like when a guy is losing his hair, especially if the guy is not tall.
Posted by: DirkJohanson | April 27, 2012 at 09:34 AM
Men getting sensitive about a retreating hairline are sensitive for the same reason women say things like "does this make my ass look fat?"
It's a self-perceived flaw. A source of insecurity.
And shaving is not always a cure. There are a lot of shaved heads out there with weird bumps, ridges, and blinding shininess.
Posted by: Mark Banks-Golub | April 25, 2012 at 09:56 AM
I very much love my husband of over thirty years. And, as someone who helps lawyers grow their books (average 20%) and recruits lawyers for a living, I think he is an outstanding lawyer. By the way, he is bald.
Posted by: K.C. Victor | April 25, 2012 at 08:42 AM
As a guy who "receded" during college and law school, "thinned" during my thirties and (gulp) "balded" during my forties, this post really hit home. I tried all the pharma cures, with nasty side effects, before embracing my baldness.
We should make a distinction, however, between a close cut with clippers and head shaving. Shaving can make you look like an aspiring MMA fighter, and if your head is oddly shaped, it just doesn't work. The more professional, lawyerly look is the close cut.
Posted by: Michael | April 25, 2012 at 06:41 AM