Where on your scalp did you start noticing baldness?

[hindsight2020]

Fiancee, check. High salary, check. Confidence in my abilities, check. I've got all of that, but I'm also smart enough to know society will judge me on my hair before any of that, because society is stupid, it is superficial and it cannot be beaten.

I'm only 27 and because I started balding seven years ago, I've hit the frontier of my potential already. I have everything else in order, and it is holding me back.

Perhaps what you don't realise, because you had a HT in a crucial stage of your career, is how much it helped you get on. Before the HT, you were the loser who lost his hair and looked like he was 40 when he was only 18. You looked like you'd had your chance at a career already by those who didn't know you and you were overlooked. You made a smart move and probably got out of the positions, lower end middle management, where image counted before the HT went downhill.

At 30, I'd hazard a guess that you'll hit your brick wall sooner rather than later.

By the way, it's good you're earning six figures, although if that's in dollars then that's really nothing special.

Its sad to watch someone constantly put themselves down. When you place the blame on other people you give up the ability to fix it. Your right, you've hit you potential, throw in the towel. Its funny how you've now resorted to taking shots at a countries currency. Sad, sad little man.

I'm not going to waste my time responding to the bullsh*t that comes from you anymore. I've listened to and looked into a lot of your posts, nothing you've said has ever been backed up. You have claim after claim and all they are, are opinions of yourself. You think bald people are ugly because you are ugly, you think bald people are hopeless because you yourself are hopeless. Its sad that you would rather bring people down with you then help them out. No one is here to hear how ugly and hopeless they are, yet thats all you talk about in your posts... you really are a pathetic person. And you think its your baldness thats holding you back... LOL!

I've hated the past seven years and I don't expect that to change any time soon, so I'd be very unwilling to risk creating future lives as miserable and dull as mine.

That post sums you up and even though its a bit extreme, its understandable going through hairloss. The sh*tty part about you is, you want everyone else to feel the same way. Maybe hairloss for you is a good thing, you need to grow up and get over yourself.

[heresjohnny]

An observation, I also do not think it’s his hair loss holding him back but his attitude. I am sure that the negativity displayed here also is displayed at the work place as bad as it is put forth here? I have had the privilege of promoting many people who “earned it” into so-called middle management.
What are the main traits I look for ATTITUDE and maturity! How they or how they don’t react in situations. I don’t need a whiner who always finds excuses why things didn’t get done. I would rather hear them be accountable and say I didn’t make the time to accomplish it.
Secondly, if I really felt that a company was holding me back from promotion for which I truly *earned* I would find another company to work for since it seems they do not appreciate my work.

[[mcr]]

See the difference of texture in his HT hair from his real hair?

I do not. It looks very normal to me. If I saw that guy on the street I wouldn't look at his head twice.

You don't think people will do a double take to the doll hair look?

The thought of a HT never even crossed my mind before I discovered this forum. I didn't even notice when people had PLUGS unless someone pointed it out. My hair radar was completely off. I had no reason to scrutinize people's hairlines, and I suppose most people do not scrutinize other people's hairlines. The vast majority of people won't second guess your hairline if it is high quality like that example, especially nowadays that HTs look extremely natural.

A trained eye (like a doctor, or like you) might be able to detect a HT, but that's like one in a million people. It only stands out to us because our eyes are trained to look for that stuff, and we assume everyone else does.

I wish that guy good luck; he found a great doc, and he got a great result, and hopefully by the time his hairline starts coming undone there will be a cure. And I hope you and I benefit from said cure too and have our mops back.

[hindsight2020]

I do not. It looks very normal to me. If I saw that guy on the street I wouldn't look at his head twice.



The thought of a HT never even crossed my mind before I discovered this forum. I didn't even notice when people had PLUGS unless someone pointed it out. My hair radar was completely off. I had no reason to scrutinize people's hairlines, and I suppose most people do not scrutinize other people's hairlines. The vast majority of people won't second guess your hairline if it is high quality like that example, especially nowadays that HTs look extremely natural.

A trained eye (like a doctor, or like you) might be able to detect a HT, but that's like one in a million people. It only stands out to us because our eyes are trained to look for that stuff, and we assume everyone else does.

I wish that guy good luck; he found a great doc, and he got a great result, and hopefully by the time his hairline starts coming undone there will be a cure. And I hope you and I benefit from said cure too and have our mops back.

Thats my point though. Bald or balding people think people are 'staring' or 'noticing' them all the time for thier thinning hair, when in reality, no one cares.

The same goes for people who have a HT... you think people are staring at you all the time because they can 'tell' ... your constantly worried about random events happening that could allow people to see you have a HT. Thats what I mean when you have a whole new set of problems after a HT that you never had before, just like when you start to bald.

[Fixed by 35]

Its funny how you've now resorted to taking shots at a countries currency. Sad, sad little man.

It's not a shot, it's an observation. Americans are bound to hit six figures before Europeans, because their unit of currency has always been worth less. It says nothing about the success of the currency, because otherwise the Yen would be a complete and utter joke. I thought you were in a corporate career? Surely you can think these things through, before making stupid comments?

No one is here to hear how ugly and hopeless they are

I don't tell people they're hopeless, I tell them they are perceived as less dynamic, and nine times out of ten they agree that they are ugly. My opinion is that looks should be irrelevant and some very capable people pass by this site. The trouble is they're in for a whole load of sh*t in life because of how they look and I see fit to use HONESTY instead of the pop psychology you peddle.

I think it's a damn site better that they understand that more often than not they will be the victims of the prejudice of others. Why? Because the alternative is believing that they're always less lucky than others for tangible reasons. I know that is not true, so I want to pass the message on that when the pretty boy blagger gets promoted and they don't, it's because the pretty boy has hair. It's got nothing to do with their own abilities or attitude.

An observation, I also do not think it’s his hair loss holding him back but his attitude. I am sure that the negativity displayed here also is displayed at the work place as bad as it is put forth here? I have had the privilege of promoting many people who “earned it” into so-called middle management.

What are the main traits I look for ATTITUDE and maturity! How they or how they don’t react in situations. I don’t need a whiner who always finds excuses why things didn’t get done. I would rather hear them be accountable and say I didn’t make the time to accomplish it.

I doubt your credentials as a senior executive as well. First of all, you presume to know what happens in my office and my industry. You very clearly don't. If you had any idea how stupid and uneducated some of the pretty boys in senior and middle management were you would not make the same judgement. They're a bunch of smiling idiots who spend their time getting drunk with one another. They build an impregnable network which anyone with flaws, especially the bald, cannot infiltrate. It's common across the industry (banking).

Secondly, if I really felt that a company was holding me back from promotion for which I truly *earned* I would find another company to work for since it seems they do not appreciate my work.

As above, it wouldn't help. Plus, being balding makes job interviews extremely uncomfortable, especially when some pretty boy will get the job anyway.

The trouble with the two of you is that you're the ones who got lucky (possibly, although your manner does make me wonder whether you're as successful as you say you are). A few bald men do succeed, but it is far less likely for us to succeed than those with hair and we have to work a hell of a lot harder at it. Balding men are severely unrepresented in Government, in Business and in the Media.

[heresjohnny]

Sorry if you took what I said as an attack - typed words don’t always come across the same as speaking. I do not know about you or your work place you are correct and if you read what I wrote it wasn’t specific about your work place, but you and the attitude you project (in here) that is my observation. Food for thought take it for what it’s worth, or do not.

“If you had any idea how stupid and uneducated some of the pretty boys in senior and middle management were you would not make the same judgement.”

Yes, I have had to work my way through it and really earn it. I didn’t ascend to my position early in life either I was in my late thirties. Yes some are real buffoons no matter what corporation or company you work for. I’ve seen people get promotions and fail. I don’t know the answer for you that is something you need to digest yourself.

[[mcr]]

Americans are bound to hit six figures before Europeans, because their unit of currency has always been worth less.

Maybe I live on a different planet, but I have always been under the impression that the USD is the world reserve currency.

Bashing America is pointless. Americans didnt steal your hair.

You're also highly unlikely to be considered for any senior management positions if you say non-sensical things like that around upper management. No one's gonna take you seriously.

[hindsight2020]

Maybe I live on a different planet, but I have always been under the impression that the USD is the world reserve currency.

Bashing America is pointless. Americans didnt steal your hair.

You're also highly unlikely to be considered for any senior management positions if you say non-sensical things like that around upper management. No one's gonna take you seriously.

I would just stop feeding the troll. He's starving!

[Fixed by 35]

Maybe I live on a different planet, but I have always been under the impression that the USD is the world reserve currency.

Bashing America is pointless. Americans didnt steal your hair.

I'm not bashing America you muppet! Dear me, the concept really isn't that hard to grasp. Today:

£1 = $1.4773
€1 = $1.2699

Therefore, $1 is worth less than £1 or €1. Simple!

$1 = Y92.4299

Therefore, Y1 is worth less than $1. Again, simple.

It is not a reflection on the strengh of its currency, but it's value.

A Japanese man who earns a seven figure salary does not necessarily earn very much. An American man who earns a six figure salary is not necessarily earning that much ($100,000 = £67,600 approx). It's a nice salary but in the right context it isn't much - if you have a degree, a professional qualification and a few years experience you are doing something very wrong not to earn this much by 30 in a corporate career). Of course, if you're bald, this is the limit. If you're not, you're likely to earn much more and get promoted far more quickly. It is not impossible for a bald man to succeed, only it happens at a much slower rate (hence we'll see our careers develop at a much later age - being a high flier is the door pretty much closed to us).

You're also highly unlikely to be considered for any senior management positions if you say non-sensical things like that around upper management. No one's gonna take you seriously.

You're the one who didn't understand the basics of an argument, not me! I hope you understand it now.

I'd say something to hindsight2020 too, but I'd be wasting my breath. He's firmly entrenched in the bald bubble, where he's become oblivious to the negative effects of balding. It's a nice enough place to be, but I'd rather be a depressed realist than a blind optimist.

[[mcr]]

Actually, my mistake. I misread your post. You said "Americans are bound to hit six figures before Europeans, because their unit of currency has always been worth less." I read "worthless" instead of "worth less." I thought you were calling the USD worthless so I thought you lost your mind.

[Fixed by 35]

The US dollar was becoming less strong than it was, in particular because of countries like Russia deciding to trade oil in Euros rather than Dollars and the potential of the Chinese to switch to its own currency or Euros in foreign trade, but the sovereign debt crisis in the Eurozone will probably put it back to where it was!

[skinhead23]

It seems like I remember getting grief about my hairline right after hitting puberty. I had a funny looking widow's peak at about 12 or 13 and it was receded on one side more than the other. I let my hair grow out for a while between 13 and 15. I started buzzing it again for a while and by the time I was 16 it had receded some more on top, but that peak remained pretty strong. At about 17 I had noticeable diffuse thinning on top and that spot toward the back was was thin enough that it could be said that I had a bald spot. I denied that it was that bad, then I denied that I even cared but wore a hat all the time. Hats are a must at that age or everyone looks at you like you are diseased and I wasn't outgoing to begin with. By about 20, I had a thicker strip on top coming down to what used to be a peak and was bald almost all the way back between this strip and the sides. Between then and now (23) I came to have a few fine hairs on top. Haha, ten years stand between a nice head of hair and a "norwood VII."

[Gusto]

Thanks for that.

I couldn't believe it when I started balding because my dad had all his hair.

[Vanzzzz]

Erm Henry Paulson was the CEO of Goldman Sachs, and he is bald.
Lloyd C. Blankfein current CEO, is bald.
Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe, is bald.

And they are at least a V to VII on the NW scale too. Not saying that balding doesn't have devastating mental impact on anyone but I do not believe it affects your career as much as you think it is.

Finally, using exchange rates to determine the value of a currency is rather naive, we should look at the purchasing pwoer instead....

[Gusto]

Would President Kennedy have been elected if he had been bald or had a comb-over?

No. Because baldness did not fit into his 'young' image, despite him not being young at all. He was in his early 40s, but was portrayed as a man 15 years younger because he had hair.