The Stigma Behind Baldness
Fashion and the open-mindedness of today’s society have led to several hairstyles becoming en vogue. These days, long thick luxurious hair is not the only thing that can make heads turn.
Nonetheless, baldness is still seen as a sign of frailty, weakness and old age. A skin head and a bald head may look the same but wide acceptance between the two is several miles apart. People with bald or thinning hair are disregarded and jeered at, perhaps not as out in the open as before, but nevertheless, they are still disregarded and jeered at.
Male and female pattern baldness may not be a health hazard but they can still lead to many psychological and emotional problems. It can cause lack of confidence, loneliness, fear, dread, a sense of defeat, and even depression.
As we are living in Madonna’s “Material World”, it is not a surprise to find a person’s crowning glory in the center of what we view as physically appealing. But what exactly is it about hair and the lack thereof that dictates stature?
When all his peers are sporting long, thick and sometimes even bushy hair, it is only natural for a 20-year-old man with a receding hairline to cave in and seek help. Since society tolerates bald heads on 40 year old men and no younger, the bald head makes our 20-something feel as old as his 40 year old counterparts - making him seem to age at a faster rate.
At such a young age, he is feeling the pressure to get a hair transplant. It is the loss of hair that is making him feel the loss of youth.
When he reaches his late 30’s up until his early 40’s, it is easier for him to consider getting treatment for many reasons. One such trigger could be some unavoidable stress in his personal life such as a divorce or a midlife crisis. He could also be motivated to do so as a business move. He might also find it an easier task to accomplish because of monetary reasons.
Curing hair thinning or hair loss is something that both men and women associate to regaining youth and confidence mainly because of societal and biological dictates. Society finds baldheadedness a sure sign of old age. Biology assures us of this.
It is thus good to see that the empowered individual these days have grown to accept baldheadedness for what it is: a harmless genetic condition. Perhaps, in the near future, not one of our young 20 year olds will ever feel a negative vibe when it comes to the loss of their manes.
