Is the Shaved Head the New Comb Over?

[Weedwacker]

It is interesting that the shaved head has become popular in modern times - at least in America. When I was growing up (I am 34), it was an absolute no no. Often considered a Nazi emblem or sign of chemo-induced sickness, one would never shave his head under any circumstances. Cultural trends change, however, as well as minds.

The comb over, which was embraced in the 1970's through 1990's (and still sometimes used today) was a very common phenomenon. Men (who were bald/balding) would simply grow their hair long on the sides and flop it (perhaps with gel) over the top of the head to give the appearance of a fuller head of hair. Now, however, this trend (or crime!) is tantamount to committing perjury in a federal court; further, it is one of the most (if not the most) mocked social/fashion elements of modern society. The satire of the bald man's comb over is unending, and rather caustic. However, in reality, how is the comb over any different from a shaved head? Well, you may say, it is different because head shaving is about acceptance, whereas the comb over is about denial. I understand that argument; however, I have heard many head shaving men admit they are shaving, among other reasons, because they want to be bald by choice; in addition, they say hairloss is less noticeable this way. However, isn't the latter the intention of a comb over? Isn't the idea to make hairloss look less noticeable? There appears to be some flawed logic here.

Some would argue that a man with a comb over is insecure; they'd say he just cannot accept his hairloss; therefore, he is pathetic. This may be true - but many head shavers cannot accept the fact that they are naturally bald either. They want to be considered part of the 'trend' instead of accepting themselves the way they are. Some, however, shave because they want to look younger, feel better or just forget about hair altogether. Sometimes, bald men shave because they flat-out look better than with the disproportioned horseshoe. Some men with comb overs just want to have hair on their heads so they can recognize their faces when they look in the mirror - which is understandable.

In summation, I believe that there is not one answer to my original question. Some men shave because they cannot accept their natural hairloss; in contrast, others shave because they look better that way. I do not believe that men with comb overs ought to be ridiculed any more than fellas who shave their heads - because they are in denial about their genetics. Why is either type of man necessarily ridiculed? The problem I see is the notion that there is some difference between the two groups; there is not.

[KeepTheHair]

Shaved is still way better than combing it over. It looks ridiculous and desperate because it's untidy and awkward takes more time etc etc just so bad.

[DAVE52]

. Some men shave because they cannot accept their natural hairloss; in contrast, others shave because they look better that way. I do not believe that men with comb overs ought to be ridiculed any more than fellas who shave their heads - because they are in denial about their genetics. Why is either type of man necessarily ridiculed? The problem I see is the notion that there is some difference between the two groups; there is not.

There's a big difference IMO

Both are lsoing their hair

One has chosen to face reality, accept it and rather than hide it ( by wearing a rug, hat etc ) shave or cut it very short so they look presentable

The other know they are balding and choose to grow their hair long and comb it over to hide their baldness . End result it looks stupid IMO . See Trump as an example or any of these photos

http://www.holytaco.com/combover-awesomely-bad-photo-gallery/

[t-bone]

comb overs are ridiculous! It says to the world they are big cowards! It is almost as if the person is trying to deceive everyone he comes in contact with.

#1.shaved head is modern.#2 a bald man loosing his hair who shaves head is telling the world he owns it! He's saying he is man enough to handle it.

comb over and shaved heads are two totally different categories!

[UK_]

Question:

How many ladies does the NW7 maths teacher with the end-to-end 10 strand comb-over pull?

A) None
B) None
C) None

[Spex]

Shave down is way better than comb over.

[clee984]

I think the one major difference is that I've met many women (and in fact, some gay men) who are attracted to men with shaved heads, and like the look. I have never met a woman who considers a comb-over to be attractive.

I once saw an interview with Patrick Stewart, and he said that he had a combover in his twenties, and as soon as he got rid of it he starting drowning in a sea of high-quality poontang (that might not be a direct quote).

I agree that men with combovers shouldn't be ridiculed, though.

[Weedwacker]

comb overs are ridiculous! It says to the world they are big cowards! It is almost as if the person is trying to deceive everyone he comes in contact with.

#1.shaved head is modern.#2 a bald man loosing his hair who shaves head is telling the world he owns it! He's saying he is man enough to handle it.

comb over and shaved heads are two totally different categories!

I don't agree that they are necessarily different categories. If shaved headed men have so much "courage" as you say, then why weren't MPB sufferers not shaving down in the 1980's and early 1990's? Originally, I buzzed my hair down in 1992 when no one else was doing it. I was 16 years old and noticeably balding, so I tried to make it less obvious. Was I weak? Absolutely. Of course, I was ridiculed for doing it. There were no shaved headed men back then. Gee, I wonder why?

I wouldn't say a shaved head is necessarily modern because men who lost in combat hundreds of years ago were sometimes forced to shave their heads as a sign of weakness and submission. Inmates were also required to buzz down.

I have heard many bald headed, shaved men admit that they shave because they want to hide their male pattern baldness. They are weak, not ballsy. It's the same concept as a comb over. They are trying to deceive people into thinking that they are bald by choice - and not genetically bald. Furthermore, as stated previously, if this was 1987 they wouldn't be doing it at all.

Similar to men who lost in combat, I wouldn't say that shaved headed men are "owning" anything because, irrespective of their shaved head, they were forced to submit to nature. Baldness forces its 'victims' into a monomaniac (for lack of a better term) look. Shaving implies a false power. There are no options when you're bald, and shaving doesn't change that.

[Weedwacker]

Correction: If shaved headed men have so much 'courage' as you say, then why weren't they shaving in the 1980's and early 1990's? This speaks of conformity and trends.

[DAVE52]

Because all it probably took was for one person ( famous , well known ) to start the trend and then others followed .

As for the conformity / trends ......so what ?
It's like alot of things in life .
One person starts something , it becomes poular / fashionable and everyone follows .
I remember when George CLooney cut his hair really short and combed it forward . I wasn't particularly fond of it but soon it became the "in " thing .

And the comb over looks ridiculous no matter what the reason. All you need os a big gust of wind and then you have a foot and half of hair hang off of one side of your head

[Fixed by 35]

I don't think this question is so clear cut. The 'shavers' like to believe they have superiority over the 'combers' because their style is more in fashion and less scruffy. That said, it is not a particularly good look (and I'm talking specifically here about grade 0 wet shavers here), especially for men who are overweight and it is very time consuming to maintain. A lot of men don't want to spend ages shaving their heads in the morning when they know they won't be happy with the end result anyway. The end result can often be a pinky, lumpy, spotty scalp with the 'neck rolls' on show.

The combover is no better, not least because it is scruffy, flimsy in the wind and also very time consuming to maintain. Like the shaved head, it very rarely looks good and worse than that it typically lasts no more than five minutes outdoors!

The sensible approach is to accept that baldness looks like crap no matter how you frame it. Baldness is no different to warts, scars, excess fat or wrinkles in that it is a negative and unfortunate thing. It is not something that can look good any more than losing all your teeth can look good. The only thing you can do when it happens is accept that you didn't win the game of life when it comes to looks and find the least time consuming way to deal with it. There's no point trying desperately to find some sort of solution such as the gym, expensive clothes or a fake tan because it all just looks like overcompensating, which looks desperately insecure, as does pretending to like your baldness by 'owning' it.

My advice is to stick with grade 3/4 for life, until they find a cosmetically acceptable solution. You only need to get your hair cut about once a month, it's too short to get untidy or to succombe to a temptation to 'comb over' and you avoid looking like a tramp (combover) or an egg (wet shaved). An added benefit is that you're unlikely to stand out in a crowd either as a scruff or as a reflector for the lights. The bottom line is that your hair is not an asset, so avoid spending time on it.

[thejdizzle]

interesting question...

I think that cultural context has played a role in determining what is 'socially' acceptable over time. However, today i strongly believe that the comb over is the worse possible solution, of course it totally depends on the person, age and extent of loss.

Obviously this is completely subjective but in my experience most women find confidence and masculinity highly attractive. These are two attributes that can only be communicated with a shaved head. On the other hand, a comb over highlights possible insecurities which are the biggest turn-offs for women.

although i am preying for a cure and am internally very insecure, i have been with more women this year since i started shaving my head than of all my years past...

looks aren't everything, just my 50 cents.

much love - thejdizzle

[Fixed by 35]

I'm not entirely sure where the idea that the shaved head communicates confidence comes from. When I see someone with a shaved head I don't think 'confident,' I think 'bald.' Confidence is a behaviour, not a look; I see confident men with some horrific comb overs because of the way they behave, not because of how they look. Also, I see men with shaved heads who are unable to look people in the eye.

If you saw me in the street, you probably wouldn't guess I was uncomfortable about my hair line, because I get all the social niceties right 'on the street.' That I'm dying inside I conceal very well, even when I get treated like crap as is the norm in an image obsessed society.

I keep coming back to the same conclusion. The only way you can be truly happy and bald at the same time is to divorce any sense of self from how you look. The body should become nothing more than an inappropriate shell. That's how I think some of the most successful bald men deal with it, such as Patrick Stewart and Bruce Willis, neither of whom went bald gracefully.

The shaved head continues to be pushed as a solution and, whilst preferable to a combover, it really does nothing for a person's appearance that can't be achieved by having the hair trimmed short. Furthermore, it can look terrible. You give me one bald man who looks 'normal' and I'll give you a hundred off the street who don't.

[Weedwacker]

I will never understand the concept that a shaved head represents confidence and 'boldness'. I think perhaps one of the reasons people (including women) think this way is because we live in an image obsessed culture in the West. If you go to Japan, China, the Philippines etc. you will almost never see a man with a shaved head. Now, it is true that men from those countries appear to lose their hair less (I have never seen an Asian man who is balding and under 30) because of better hair genes. Moreover, you don't see the shaved head as often in certain parts of Western Europe - and you almost never see it in South America. Again, I think Latin men, like Asian men, lose their hair less than Caucasian males. Asians have the best hair in the world.

Reverting back to the image thing, people associate a shaved head with confidence. Why? I don't know. People who 'act' certain ways do so for many reasons; sometimes because they have an inferiority complex or have something to 'prove'. Many shaved headed men are pathetically insecure simply because I have heard them admit it. It is true that many people associate a 'look' with confidence, which pretty much speaks of the average person's intellect. I think this goes back to the lizard brain. Women and men see a 'macho' man and because he 'appears' confident, they think he is - which, in my experience, he usually is not. The shaved head is affiliated with the 'Bad Boy' image, and I think that is its main draw. An insecure person usually has a storm (shaved head, macho behavior) on the outside because there is little on the inside. A secure person usually has nothing on the outside because there is a storm (confidence) on the inside.

Again, the shaved head is a trend. One is not bold for following a trend; instead, one may be docile. Some men, however, shave their heads because they look better. I have seen, however, many men with shaved heads who look like living hell; they have that menacing, criminal look (which, I guess, they like); or, they look like they have alopecia totalis instead of androgenetic alopecia. Comb overs are not a good option either. It makes sense to accept the fact that you are bald and move on with life; there are worse things. Shaving doesn't eliminate the problem; in fact, if you shave, you're more bald. Some guys can look well that way - but many don't. There is no 'owning' something if that something is something over which one has no control.

Like inmates, who are forced to lose their identity (buzz their heads) and control, the bald man loses control. What options does a man with hair have? Well, he can buzz his hair, shave it, grow out an afro or style his hair in another 50 ways. He is in control - with many options. Now, which options exist for the bald man? None. Pure submission. This, by the way, is nothing to celebrate by shaving your head. I don't despise the way I look bald - but I will not try to tell myself that I love it. I accept it for what it is.

[Fixed by 35]

The point on subjugation is a good one. What I found was that the minute I started losing my hair, everyone else suddenly decided they must know a lot more about style than I did. For about six months, plenty of Norwood 0s were saying 'why don't you just shave it off?'

That's the problem. When you have hair, you decide what to do with it. When you start losing it, people dictate to you how you must deal with it to remain acceptable to 'their' society.