What is confidence?
Even more specifically in this case, Self-confidence when it comes to physical appearance.
Physical Self-confidence can be defined as the ability to look in the mirror and feel a positive vibe and a sense of pride in one’s appearance. But who sets the standards for what are the criteria of being "good looking"? Society and trends do.
Centuries ago, women with a fuller body were considered more attractive than the Slimmer ones. Very much so, hair plays a similar role.
Back in the 1920s, it would be unusual for a man to not wear a hat. This was the trend and fashion. In today’s world with a dominance of social media, celebrities being exposed by the internet on a daily basis, those trends have shifted. Now, men who are bald or balding are not considered as good looking or attractive, as the men with a head full of hair with a few exceptions of course. Our nature as a species, makes us thrive to look good for others and eventually through positive feedback on our appearance and interactions, one learns to love his own self-image.
When we look at the average woman’s daily grooming routine or her wardrobe, it is very easy to understand that physical appearance is extremely important for the gender. From nails to hair, perfumes, dresses, jewellery and so on.
Men, on the other hand, have a very limited set of things to look after in contrast to their female counterparts. A decent sense of style, proper hygiene, perhaps some form of physical exercise for muscular enhancement, and of course, hair. With hair, men can express their identity through trendy hairstyles that suit their personalities. Deprive them of hair, and a major loss of control over their appearance is the result, swiftly followed by a loss of self-confidence.
So, why do men suffering from hair loss experience a loss of self-confidence? (To various degrees) It is primarily due to the loss of control and choice over their appearance but also, jealousy, the normal human emotion. Take 2 men of the same age group, one bald, one with a head full of hair, it isn’t hard to understand why the bald man would feel sad and jealous when looking at the other person sporting a trendy hairstyle. Not only is the person with a head full of hair able to express his identity through his hair, but he also looks significantly younger.
Men today are not the only ones suffering from hair loss or thinning in general, the number of women experiencing hair loss or thinning has increased dramatically in the last 30 years and for these women, the loss of confidence is equally significant or even worse than men, as they cannot even gracefully go bald or work on their physique to compensate for the lack of hair, like many A-list Hollywood actors have done. The likes of Jason Statham, Bruce Willis, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson comes to mind.
When it comes to attracting and interacting with the opposite sex, today’s world is, unfortunately, far less forgiving in terms of one being judged solely by their appearance, as opposed to in the past. This can be explained by the rise of the internet era. Today it’s extremely easy to have access to someone else’s pictures through social media and, as a result, this creates an immediate first impression based exclusively on physical appearance. Worse yet, in the western world, there has been a very steady rise in online dating as people have less and less time to socialize or try to go out to meet new people. Apps such as Tinder create an illusion and expectation solely based on looks where men with a capillary deficit are at a significant disadvantage unless they have compensated with a muscular body or have a head shape naturally suited to not having a mane.
The brutal reality of today is that society is progressively becoming shallower and judging when it comes to looks, and hair places a key role for men in this case. There has also been a marked rise in the “metrosexual” man in the biggest developed cities of the world. A metrosexual is a heterosexual male individual whose grooming regiment can match or even exceed a woman’s. Facial creams, mani-pedis, skin exfoliation and many other grooming rituals that used to be considered laughable if done by a man is becoming more and more socially acceptable. As such, men are becoming even more self-conscious about their looks than ever before.
Based on all this information, it makes perfect sense why there is such a strong link between hair and confidence for men with a few exceptions to the rule of course. Regardless, it is a very important component of your average man’s self confidence levels.
