I’ve always liked bald … that smooth expanse of skin crowning the top of a shapely head, the way a hairless pate shines in the light and how it feels under my fingertips.

Growing up in a family with four girls, discussions about what made one person dateworthy and another not were inevitable. For my sisters, dates had to drive nice cars or be somebody – a football hero or a class president. I wasn’t all that much better. This experience didn’t prepare us in any way for when we got older and had to take a stand on that burning issue … baldness in dating.

As we aged, we continued to agree on exactly nothing. I did manage to retain my fondness for an exposed scalp, however. I like to think that I eventually came to value “the inner man” over his hair or lack thereof when hooking up with somebody. In the end, I married a bald guy (actually, he’s only partly bald, sporting an encircling ring of salt and pepper curls that I’ve always found endearing) and what he has growing on his dome, unless it’s a fungus of some kind, has never been an issue. Being bald has changed, though. Following are some factors.

It’s fashionable

It appears that bald has finally come into its own. It’s not nearly the liability for a guy it used to be since it’s become fashionable to have extremely short, or even completely shaven, hair in the last few years. There’s plenty of famous, charismatic men who boast a barren plain up there – movie stars Bruce Willis, Jason Statham and Ben Kingsley, soccer great David Beckham and basketball star Michael Jordan, to name a few. Television comedian Larry David uses his baldness as a form of self-deprecating humor in his show, “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” Patrick Stewart, who played the refined, commanding Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on “Star Trek:?The Next Generation,” was named “The Sexiest Man on TV” not long ago.

The whole hog

Photo by Nancy McCarthy.For some, going completely bald is a matter of fashion. For others, choosing a totally bald look is simply their way of beating Mother Nature to the draw.

But not all men with partial or male pattern baldness are ready to do something as drastic as shave their heads. Sometimes, that’s because they’re in denial about just how far that hairline has receded. Others don’t want to be locked into one kind of hairstyle or deal with shaving hassles. Still others feel it looks too menacing … that people will take them for a skinhead or a similarly threatening type (think Max Schreck’s Nosferatu).

Photo by Alex Pajunas.I confess I got a little misty-eyed reading a reassuring online post from a SlyBaldGuys.com member who wrote, “Since going SLY (shaving one’s head) I find I stand taller and am more confident. When people look at me, it is not just because of my size (6’7″ and 270 lbs), it’s because they’re checking out the slicked-out dome on the big guy. So I would have to say with all confidence that the way of the SLY is a definite advantage in my situation and I’m not going back.”

Is bald such a shocking alternative? It’s not like some hairstyles on men can’t be off-putting. Just about any woman would prefer him to embrace his hair loss issues rather than hide behind a horrible combover (Donald Trump comes to mind here), a cheap rug, poorly placed hair plugs and last, but not least in my book, stupid hats. As far as other people’s reactions go, a friend of ours shared this bit of wisdom: “I tell people who ask why I shave my head that God took half and I took care of the rest.”

Get over yourself

Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter.” For a man, going bald can be a reminder that he’s getting older. Who can blame him for feeling a bit down in the mouth? After a certain age, we all have our “pity party” moments. But how much easier is it not to mind being bald when our culture says it’s OK now?

Men (and women) may still be bald but they’re standing tall and walking proud these days. A confident, secure and honest person who radiates happiness … now that’s attractive! Of course, truth be told, women who find bald men sexy do not necessarily find all of them sexy, just as guys who prefer blondes don’t automatically go for all blondes. 

A key factor for many women is generally whether there’s personal chemistry with a man. And yes, some females prefer men with fat wallets, flashy cars and some level of success or fame. Others want guys, hair or no hair, who are kind, treat them respect and love them through thick and thin. Go figure.

From BrotherhoodOfBaldPeople.com

By Dominic Perino, posted Feb. 9, 2009

Well, today is my one-year anniversary since I first decided to shave my head. For all of those out there on the fence, I have decided to list everything that has changed as a result of shaving.

1. Not worried about any weather condition, wind, or wearing a hat that would mess my hair up.

2. Can ride rollercoasters/amusement park stuff with my wife and not have to worry about the hair.

3. All last summer, went to the beach, swam at pool parties, etc. and never worried about my hair.

4. Learned to ride and bought a motorcycle. I can ride anytime, anywhere now without worrying about messing my hair up.

5. Have emceed numerous functions and don’t have to worry if “they can tell how bad my hair is thinning,” which affected my performance in the past. People have said, “Wow, that was awesome! You were never like that before you shaved your head.”

6. People look into my eyes when they talk to me, and I feel I know whether they are being real or not.

7. Got some cool nicknames like “Skeletor” and “Capt. America.”

8. Get much more sleep than I used to. Shaving it every day is easy and takes much less time.

9. I actually sleep on long airplane rides – no worries on messing the hair up.

10. I have Phillies/Flyers season tickets, and I can now wear hats or ball caps to games and I no longer avoid or worry about removing my hat when the national anthem is played.

11. Can go to the gym and shower there afterwards because I don’t need the time or have the worries of my hair.

Now the important ones:

12. My family and friends treat me the same, and I can be more relaxed and my real self comes out more because I am not worried about my hair.

13. I have learned that superficial things are not important – it is what’s in the heart that matters.

14. And most important, my wife of 19 years loves me just the same. And, I have taken a stressor away – the stress of not going out or avoiding places/things because my insecurity about my hair is gone! She loves having the real me back again.