Throughout history hair has played a
significant role in our life. Another person's hair is
one of the first characteristics we notice upon meeting.
Our own hair is one of the first and last things we
attend to before a meeting or a social engagement. Hair
disorder, especially when severe, often profoundly
affects the lives of those afflicted. Severe hair loss
for a bald man or woman evokes not only cosmetic
concerns but may also evoke feelings of vulnerability
(nakedness), loss of self-esteem, alterations in
self-image, and, perhaps, even self-identity.
History shows back in 1992, researchers at Old
Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, surveyed 145
men, and found that 84 percent of the balding men were
preoccupied with their loss. They described themselves
as filled with self-consciousness, helplessness, and
envy of men with full heads of hair. Single men and
woman who had begun losing hair in their early twenties
were more likely to suffer from extremely low
self-esteem.
While stressful, bald isn't the end of the world.
Although the men reported glancing in the mirror
constantly and wearing hats even in warm weather, they
manage to make it through their daily lives without much
problem. For some it even sparked self-improvement
tactics like fiddling with hair styles, working out
more, and dressing better. Survey history result is
shown in the following chart.
Stereotypes associated with being bald are not
flattering. Another history research back in
1971(2) had been conducted to investigate how one person
was perceived by others can be influenced by quantity of
scalp hair (regular, balding, and bald) as well as
color, length, and quality of scalp hair. Pictures of
the same person were presented to 60 judges. Differences
in appearances of this person (i.e., experimental
conditions of regular, balding, and bald) were
manipulated through modifications made by a commercial
artist. The results revealed that the person with a
regular quantity of hair was rated as most handsome,
virile, strong, active, and sharp. The bald man or woman
was rated as least potent, weak, dull, and inactive, and
the person with a bald head of hair was rated as most
unkind, bad, and ugly.
Many other studies in our history also show
employment discrimination based on a person's
appearance.
Motivation to avoid baldness is not confined to this
century. Even further back in history, 1150 BC
Egyptian men smear their pates with fats from ibex,
lions, crocodiles, serpents, geese, and hippopotamuses.
In modern society, this aversion is readily evident from
the many available remedies such as creams, hormones,
vitamins, hairpieces, wigs, scalp reduction and hair
transplants. A notable history government report in 1983
reveals that over the past 9 years the FDA has overseen
the investigation of ingredients in about 300,000
products claimed to help hair re-grow, none of them has
any medical benefit, of course!
