GQ Magazine recently published a very revealing article titled: Meet the Surprisingly Young Guys Showing Off Their Hair Transplants on TikTok! In it the author invited readers to “search hair transplant on TikTok, and you’ll be inundated with clips of young men offering all kind of updates on their procedures, with combined views totaling over three billion”.
“Some share their year-long journeys in quick-fire 30-second videos, others offer day-by-day or week-by-week updates, and some make longer videos, answering commonly asked questions, offering in-depth retellings of their story, or simply sharing candid conversations about the impact of hair loss on their self-confidence”.
Is there a new generation of men openly talking about baldness?
Although it’s difficult to make broad generalizations about an entire generation’s attitudes towards hair loss – as individuals within a generation can have diverse perspectives and experiences- it’s worth noting that attitudes towards hair loss and its management have evolved over time, and younger generations may have a different outlook compared to previous generations.
In recent years, there has been a shift towards embracing natural appearance and body positivity. This cultural shift, along with advancements in hair restoration techniques, may contribute to a greater acceptance and willingness among millennials to address hair loss issues. Many individuals, regardless of their age, seek solutions that help them feel confident and comfortable with their appearance.
Additionally, the increased visibility of celebrities, influencers, and public figures openly discussing their experiences with hair loss and hair restoration treatments may help reduce the stigma associated with it. Such conversations can empower individuals to address their hair loss concerns and explore available options, including hair pieces, hair transplants, medications, or other treatments.
Some people may choose to embrace their natural appearance, while others may opt for various treatments. Ultimately, the decision to address hair loss is a personal one and can vary from person to person and how the person feels plays an important part in the decision making process.
Survey Findings: The Innerbody Research
Innerbody Research -an organization that helps guide people with copious research and trustworthy resources to make informed health-related decisions- spoke to more than 1,000 Americans of all ages, sexual orientations, and degrees of baldness to better understand how hair loss impacts men’s lives. If you’re curious to know how the head of hair -or lack thereof – might impact men, keep reading.
How Americans View Baldness
In the first part of the study, Innerbody used an A/B test format in which each participant saw different images of men at varying stages of baldness. Then, asked them to rate the men on perceived attractiveness, intelligence, humor, and more. Check out the results.
Men with receding hairlines were 17% more likely than men with full heads of hair to be considered successful. They were also 13% more likely to be viewed as intelligent. These findings are possibly due to a perceived increase in age. It’s often assumed that older people enjoy more advanced careers and higher levels of intelligence and success. Intelligence can peak at any age, but the participants connected it to men with less hair.
People in the LGBTQ+ community and straight individuals were equally likely to find bald men without beards attractive (26%). However, bearded bald men were 15% more likely than beardless bald men to be considered attractive. Additionally, women were a staggering 65% more likely to perceive bald men with beards as strong versus bald men with no facial hair. Women were also 13% more likely to view bald men with beards as wealthy and successful than those without facial hair.
Balding seems to be garnering increasing appeal, especially among the younger generations. Gen Z most commonly found baldness attractive in a man, while millennials were most likely to view bald men as confident.
Fears Of Balding Among Men!
Most men surveyed admitted that they’re afraid of going bald. According to the results, those who haven’t experienced hair loss yet began to worry about it around age 32. The greatest concern for 46% was that they would feel less attractive without hair. And while many have attributed positive perceived traits to men with less than a full head of hair, 43% of men still felt their confidence would go down if they lost theirs.
Perhaps this explains why two-thirds of men plan to invest in hair loss treatments if balding begins. More than half of those surveyed have already set money aside for treatment.
Only one-quarter of balding respondents pursued treatment for their hair loss, and the majority (69%) agreed that hair loss had no impact on their love lives. Many LGBTQ+ individuals said that balding impacted theirs positively, although straight men were less likely to say the same. The youngest respondents seemed the least concerned about balding (Gen Z largely looked forward to feeling more attractive and confident because of going bald), and most men overall said that being called “bald” didn’t bother them at all (63%).
Talking About Baldness
Although bald respondents generally agreed they were unbothered by being referred to as such, there were some important nuances to this type of name-calling. In the last part of the study, Innerbody Research asked respondents to share their opinions on the act of calling and being called bald, 51% believe calling someone bald should be considered sexual harassment.
Balding Gracefully
Balding might not be as bad as men expect it to be and the good news is that nowadays there are many solutions available for hair growth or replacement. But despite the many positive perceptions of losing hair, most respondents didn’t want people calling them bald. This behavior may lead people to seek medical solutions when they might not have otherwise, and many even equate it with sexual harassment.
At the end of the day, all types of shapes, sizes, hairlines, and hair solutions deserve love and respect.
#MNHD Editorial Staff
Methodology:
Innerbody Research surveyed 1,100 individuals about their perceptions surrounding male-pattern balding. Respondents ranged in age from 18 to 76. By gender, 73% were male, and 27% were female. Out of the male respondents, 10% self-identified as bald or balding. As for sexual orientation, 69% identified as straight, and 31% identified as LGBTQ. By generation, respondents were 16% Gen Z, 56% Millennials, 20% Gen X, and 8% baby boomers. However, they didn’t include baby boomer responses in the data report due to insufficient sample size.
The sample size contained a margin of error of +/-3% with a 95% confidence level. To help ensure accurate data, they required all respondents to identify and correctly answer a decoyed attention check question. Survey data has certain limitations related to self-reporting. These limitations include telescoping, exaggeration, and selective memory.