Being a man is harder than being a woman

[Weedwacker]

Ok fellas, I have been doing some thinking over the years and have come to the conclusion that being a guy is harder than being a woman. I'm not saying that women don't have their share of bullshit with which to deal, but it's not nearly as bad as all of our shit;furthermore, women are allowed to talk about their problems and we are laughed at over ours. Now, I'm not writing this to bitch, but to point out the reality that is swept under the carpet. I have some legitimate reasons why I believe that men have more shit with which to contend;here are my reasons:

1)Baldness

Generally, women don't have to deal with baldness. Some women develop thinning;however, it's usually not nearly as severe as Male Pattern Baldness. In addition, the phenomenon is quite rare. There are a shitload of men who lose their hair and women generally do not. I began balding at 17 and did not have a normal teenagehood because of it. If I was a girl, I never would have lost my hair.

2)Money/Success

Women are not judged by how much money they make;however, men are. As men, especially in our Western culture, we are looked at purely by how much money we make. If you are a guy who doesn't make much money, you're ****ed. If you're a woman, you can be a slacker and no one cares. If a guy sees a cute girl working at the McDonald's drive thru, he'll most likely be interested.

3)Penis Size

Men are judged by the size of their dicks;furthermore, women are NOT judged by the size of their genitals. This is a typical anti-male double standard. How many times do you hear small penis jokes? Now, how often do women get ridiculed over their loose vaginas? Never. The interesting thing about it is men cannot control the size of their dicks;however, women can use Kegal balls to strengthen and tighten their vaginal muscles. Why aren't loose women ridiculed the way that small dicked men are?Why aren't women teased for not being "tight." That makes sense, criticize a guy for something over which he has no control; conversely, don't criticize a woman for something she can. I heard of a guy who was born with a micropenis(I think something like less than 3 inches erect)and committed suicide because of it. I know people like small dick jokes but is his situation really that funny?

4)Height

Men are judged by how tall they are;women are not. Often times, men have to be at least a certain height for a woman to even give him the time of day. For some guys this is a real issue. Women equate a man's bodysize with masculinity and status.

5)Confidence

Men are expected to be confident and secure at all times. Women are expected to be insecure and their insecurity is almost celebrated. Women DO NOT have to be confident at all;that is not considered their biological nor societal role. If a guy wears a hairpiece, he will be mocked by women and men. Women will say"haha, he's trying to be someone he isn't, a man with hair!HAHAHA, he is so pathetic!". Meanwhile, the woman saying this to him is wearing 5 pints of makeup, and is a bleach-blonde;all because she is too insecure to accept herself the way she is naturally. If a woman wears makeup, receives plastic surgery, wears push-up bras, wears high heels, dyes her hair, gets a fake tan or does any other spurious thing that women do because they are insecure, she is applauded!A man does it, he's weak;hence, he's ****ed.

6) Sexual performance

Guys have to perform sexually for women. In order for this to occur, the guy has to obtain an erection and last long enough for a female partner to be satisfied. If you're a guy and really like a girl, this can be rather daunting. Women don't have to worry about "lasting" during sexual activity. The whole of the sexual activity is predicated on the man's erection;therefore, all the stress is on him. Women just sit there.

In conclusion, I am not saying that women have it easy;however, it's a shitload harder being a guy. In addition, guys are not allowed to have problems. Women complain about how they are judged on their looks and bodies, but guys are as well; it's just done in different ways. I'm sick of seeing obese women on TV, complaining about how they're treated. No fat woman should be teased;however, I'm sick of the woman who's 20 lbs overweight and goes on a talkshow and bitches about her "disease" in front of millions of people. If a guy loses his hair at 18, does he get to go on a talkshow? No one gives a ****. The woman can get on a treadmill; what can the guy do? I am bald but I have accepted it. I exercise and do things that keep my mind occupied. I'm just sick of people bitching about their self-induced problems. I'm not bald because I'm lazy or made some mistake. If the cure for baldness was walking 50 miles across the Saharan Desert, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd like to hear others' thoughts on these issues.

[Layercake]

we don't get periods. **** yeah.

[Fixed by 35]

Actually, whilst you're right that women in modern society have it far easier than men, you just used terrible, and sometimes incorrect, examples.

Baldness is a given; girls are far less likely to lose their right to be in their twenties like we did (when someone presumes you are 40, you are frowned upon if you act like you're in your 20s. People like their prejudices confirmed).

However, women are increasingly being judged on their money and success, at least by other women who we all know are the harshest critics of all. Women are expected, by other women, to have wealth and to demonstrate it. They are expected to spend far more on clothes, jewellery and make up than men. Okay, so many of them sponge off their husbands then complain it's because they don't earn as much, but still (actually, I think men have a right to earn more than women for as long as our culture persists in its insistence that the men buy the women lavish gifts, but should not expect the favour to be returned. The pay gap, which is much smaller than rights groups claim, whilst not earned by women, is essentially all spent on or by women).

The penis size thing is the equivalent of small breast jokes. Let's be honest, men make such jokes. The real inequality is that women can make dick jokes without facing a sexual harassment lawsuit, because men are less likely to sue them (although if they did they'd probably have just as much chance of winning). They're also able to make these remarks without being considered sexist, because our culture encourages the idea that men are there to have the piss taken out of them by women. I think the difference is dignity; men have the dignity to not feel a need to ridicule women and make her feel inferior; they have a bit more tact and class.

Height's not a good example. Men should be tall; women shouldn't. Tall women are stigmatised in the same way as short men.

You're right about women being pathetic about hair pieces. They're allowed to spend hours getting ready, with all sorts of methods to hide their natural ugliness. But women also have a habit of being quite hypocritical, not just to men but also to other women. It's alright for them to be bleach blond, to wear support pants etc but you should hear them bitching about one another, criticising what they're wearing or whether something is fake!

I won't get onto the subject of sexual performance in too much detail. If you're so misogynistic about it, why give a **** whether they get satisfaction as long as you do?

I think the real inequality lies with the problem that we are in a limbo caused by women fighting for their rights but not surrendering their privileges in the 1960s. The majority of feminists fought for equal pay and a society more suited to women, such as maternity leave from the workplace, but they didn't challenge areas where they held the advantage. For example, during the 1960s, they weren't chanting 'why can't I fight in Vietnam?' They've never challenged the family courts, which still show an institutional bias in their favour (although, now that Generation X are reaching the bench, this is changing and the law is being taken more literally - which does not amuse the increasing number of women paying their ex-husband alimony!) They're also unwilling to stop their un-politically correct male bashing, whilst suggesting men shouldn't make sexist remarks.

Until we as a society can decide what equality is, these problems will persist.

[Weedwacker]

Well Fix, you're completely false with your reasoning. Given your intellect, I would have expected a more accurate line of retorts. The thesis of my arguments is that, because of sexism, double standards exist which most people do not even know about.

Girls don't have to deal with baldness;that's the point. One of the major things that can wreck a person's appearance, and hence one's life, is hairloss.
You made my point for me;thank you. Where's the terrible example?

I don't know the country in which you live but in America, men are primarily judged on their wealth. No one gives a **** whether a woman is a doctor or a librarian. Whether or not women discriminate against each other with regard to their incomes is irrelevant; women don't date each other, they date MEN! One of the hardest things in life is working hard enough to earn a good income. It's not requisite of women to be financially successful in life.

Sorry, but you're flat-out incorrect about small penis jokes being tantamount to small breast jokes;moreover, breasts have nothing to do with the physiology of sexual intercourse. Small boobs are not going to prevent intercourse from occuring;a lack of an erection WILL! I probably hear a small breast joke about once or twice a year. Most men(including myself)like small breasts;or, they don't care either way. Do most women like bald men and small dicks? In America, I once saw a clip of a newscast on which the female news anchor made some unbelievably vulgar remarks about small dicks. This occured during a segment on the recent discovery that King Tut had a genetic condition which rendered him a tiny penis. Honestly, I was shocked at the pornographic and vile comments she made about small dicks ON ****ING LIVE TELEVISION! Never would a male newscaster be able to make a similar comment about a woman's vagina,breasts or looks without being fired and receiving death threats. I hear some sort of small dick or baldness joke(many times from women)about 3-4 times per week;furthermore, small dick and baldness jokes are meant to dehumanize a man, the point of which is to stultify him and make him feel inferior.This would be grounds for sexual harassment. Again, as I stated, this has to do with double standards; women are not ridiculed for their vagina size. If a man makes fun of a woman's breast size, he is promptly labeled a prick/misogynist/asshole. Women are not labeled for their jokes;they get away with it.

Actually, women are not judged by their height in the manner that men are. All of the female supermodels such as Naomi Campbell, Tyra Banks, Giselle Bundchen and so on are very tall;around 5'10 to 6'0. They are worshipped by men and women. How many male sex symbols and models are 5'3"? Even 5'0" tall women prefer men who are 5'10" or taller. Giselle Bundchen said she broke up with Leonardo Dicaprio because he was too short; and he's a multi-millionaire! Many men find tall women very attractive;no woman is attracted to a short guy.

I'm disappointed that you labeled me a misogynist because men are required by women to perform sexually;that's utterly vile of you, as well as false. You are ostensibly a label assassin, who is someone who projects a title when he lacks a viable argument. I do care about womens' sexual pleasure;if I don't care then why do I own two books(both written by female sexologists)on how to give a woman oral sex? Sexual intercourse WILL NOT happen if the guy isn't capable. There are a multitude of factors involved, none of which have to do with the woman. Irrespective of what a woman does, sexual intercourse will occur if both partners are willing; however, the pressure is ALL on him to make it happen. The reason men have to perform has to do with the physiology of sex. I've heard of many women breaking off relationships with men because they could not last long enough for them. Explain to me, if you will, how that makes me a misogynist?

You did not prove any of my arguments to be false. As I reiterated, my thesis was about double standards. Making fun of a man for his dick size, stature or hairloss are things that are celebrated. These are prime examples of misandronistic double standards. Life is harder for men not just because of all of our stresses, but because we cannot seek refuge within the politically correct, feminist dominated media. I believe in an egalitarian society with regard to sexual orientation, gender and race. The examples you give are irrelevant because, for instance, everyone knows it's sexist and pigish to make fun of a woman's small breasts;however, people (especially women) do not even think of their small dick jokes as misandry or tantamount to a man saying that a woman is a piece of shit, and ought to be a slave. Women celebrate the vile trashing of bald men, but if a female is criticized for her weight, breasts or anything else, the feminist lobby has seen to it that the man will be fired/rebuked/labeled. Personally, I don't care about women making cracks about baldness or anything else because I have a thick skin;the thing that pisses me off is the double standard. If women can publicly mock a man for his dick size, height or baldness, then he ought to be able to reciprocate it without being sued.

[Fixed by 35]

Where's the terrible example

I thought comparisons of penis size and height were terrible, the others were okay. To be honest you make a lot of fair points, I just didn't think you hit the nail on the head.

Women have the status they do because they spent forty years challenging for equal status with men where they wanted it. Modern day inequalities lie on the one hand with battles women are yet to win and on the other with inequalities that they don't want to address.

The main areas women don't care to address are father's rights, equitable divorce, eligibility for front line military service, a politically correct gag against offensive jokes about men and so forth.

I think there may be different standards in the UK. Women are judged on wealth to the same extent as men in the UK, but we are far less likely to judge someone based on wealth in the first place (unless they live on welfare, we generally respect ALL people for being hard working and are more likely to distrust the wealthy). Actually, in the UK, as in the USA, women tend to be more likely than men to pursue interesting careers rather than high paid ones. More fool us for not doing the same; you might argue we wouldn't get women without a high paid job, but the truth is we just won't end up with a shallow leech who marries us for future alimony. People who are worth it will want to marry an interesting person, not a high paid corporate clone.

Women might not suffer from small penis jokes but actually I think they get it far worse. You see, a man can sleep around and be respected as a 'stud.' If a woman does the same thing she's labelled a 'slut.' That badge is far more harmful to their image than small **** jokes are to men (especially as small **** jokes can only really be made by an ex and will normally be seen as sour grapes).

On the height thing, I'm tall and envy the short. First of all, baldness makes tall men look like bouncers. In other words, idiotic thugs. Shorter men with baldness can pass themselves off as intelligent in a way that tall men with baldness can't. Also, short men can travel on long haul flights without all their leg joints seizing up! Women love tall men but I would love to be short. To be honest, I don't see baldness or height as important in terms of attracting a mate. Hair is far more important for a sense of individuality and height, well, trust me, being average height is the most comfortable and that's what I'd choose!

To be honest, if women's double standards piss you off enough, sue them for sexual harassment. Contrary to popular belief, the law isn't sexist. They'll go down as certainly as a man. The reason they do it is because no one sues them. Although I think it would be better if women just stopped the frivolous lawsuits!

[WomensHairLossProject]

A Female's Perspective

Girls don't have to deal with baldness

Thought I'd offer the perspective of a female who is losing her hair.

Women do deal with hair loss, it's just hidden and not spoken of. And yes, you are correct weedwacker, it is one of the major things that can wreck a person's appearance and life… if we allow it to. I started to lose my hair at 21 and it is the single most devastating thing that has happened in my life. Having been born with hair that women would gush over and hair stylists would run from (because it was so thick), I know the loss that you and many others here feel. Hair loss just seems to be something that doesn't discriminate, tall, short, fat, thin, nice or mean… it's the short genetic straw, and it does suck. Plain and simple. Not to sound bias, but I do think that it is tougher for a 21 year old woman to experience hair loss than a 21 year old man. From a societal point of view… men's hair loss is more accepted, the pain is no less, but society accepts it more. A balding woman is looked at as possibly being ill, after all women don't lose their hair right? Growing up as little girls we learn that our hair is supposed to be our crowning glory. Women's hair loss is not a reality that many men (and women) are educated about. Women are losing their hair as early as 16, with a high number of women losing their hair in their 20's and 30's. Pay more attention when you go to restaurants, the grocery store. Women's hair loss doesn't usually happen in a pattern like a man's. It will be a widening of part, overall diffuse thinning. I know I see several women a day in everyday life that are dealing with this.

Now when it comes to actually wearing hair, I think that society is more accepting of women doing that. There is much more of a stigma for a man wearing hair than woman… and that too is wrong. Men and women should know what a real and great option this can be. I've seen it myself first hand, and when it's done right it's simply awesome.

As men who are losing your hair, how would you feel dating a woman who is herself balding? Perhaps she is balding and proud and will let her hair loss be seen by the public that way, or perhaps she'll shave her head as men do. Maybe she is more comfortable with wearing a wig or bonded hair system, and will do that. But can you ask yourself honestly if you would be okay with that? While many husbands and boyfriends are supportive of their women's hair loss, there are always those who aren't. They judge, they don't understand.. they feel it's unnatural, unattractive, and not sexy. But lets be real, we are given hair, we live with hair, and when it's gone that itself is unnatural whether we are men or women. I know I've felt this was my god given gift, and it has been hard to let go of feeling that this (my hair) was owed to me. Life is unpredictable, there are people born with eyes, legs and arms, who today are missing something they too were born with.. their god given gifts. I try to realize that we have to learn to adapt, to adjust to who we are today and to accept ourselves. If we feel comfortable and confident in our own skin, others will feel comfortable with us as well. Confidence annihilates the appearance of hair loss. The trick is finding confidence when hair loss reduces it along with our self esteem. I met a dear friend of mine in New York a few years ago, she is someone I met online who shaves her head completely. Her husband and children are more than supportive. We went out to a pretty fancy restaurant, and what I noticed, was that no one even did a double take, or stared at her. For all intents and purposes, she had more hair (with her shaved head) than I did. Why? Because she owned it. She was confident in who she is and how she looked. I was self conscious, working hard to disguise my hair loss, spending an hour and half blow drying my hair in every which way, and concerned about the overhead lighting in the restaurant. She shaved it, splashed glittered on it, and looked stunning.

We need to own who we are today, feel good about who we are today. There is only so much we can do to change the amount of hairs we have, but there is a lot we can do to change how we interact with the world and perceive our own self worth. We are all beautiful, I believe that. Now we need to believe that about ourselves.

As my final note, I'll end on penis size, why not right? Since you've touched on that I want to provide additional perspective on that. I haven't met many women who truly cared about that. Women joke about that to men because it's something we learn at a very young age, that can hurt you guys. It's an insult (because someone a hundreds years ago must have said it was) and when you want to lash out, kick low.. literally. I have found that men care much more about their penis size, than women ever did.

Okay, that's my two cents, just needed you guys to know that us women are out here, we hide ourselves well, but the suffering is just the same.

Much love to all.

[Layercake]

Thought I'd offer the perspective of a female who is losing her hair.

Women do deal with hair loss, it's just hidden and not spoken of. And yes, you are correct weedwacker, it is one of the major things that can wreck a person's appearance and life… if we allow it to. I started to lose my hair at 21 and it is the single most devastating thing that has happened in my life. Having been born with hair that women would gush over and hair stylists would run from (because it was so thick), I know the loss that you and many others here feel. Hair loss just seems to be something that doesn't discriminate, tall, short, fat, thin, nice or mean… it's the short genetic straw, and it does suck. Plain and simple. Not to sound bias, but I do think that it is tougher for a 21 year old woman to experience hair loss than a 21 year old man. From a societal point of view… men's hair loss is more accepted, the pain is no less, but society accepts it more. A balding woman is looked at as possibly being ill, after all women don't lose their hair right? Growing up as little girls we learn that our hair is supposed to be our crowning glory. Women's hair loss is not a reality that many men (and women) are educated about. Women are losing their hair as early as 16, with a high number of women losing their hair in their 20's and 30's. Pay more attention when you go to restaurants, the grocery store. Women's hair loss doesn't usually happen in a pattern like a man's. It will be a widening of part, overall diffuse thinning. I know I see several women a day in everyday life that are dealing with this.

Now when it comes to actually wearing hair, I think that society is more accepting of women doing that. There is much more of a stigma for a man wearing hair than woman… and that too is wrong. Men and women should know what a real and great option this can be. I've seen it myself first hand, and when it's done right it's simply awesome.

As men who are losing your hair, how would you feel dating a woman who is herself balding? Perhaps she is balding and proud and will let her hair loss be seen by the public that way, or perhaps she'll shave her head as men do. Maybe she is more comfortable with wearing a wig or bonded hair system, and will do that. But can you ask yourself honestly if you would be okay with that? While many husbands and boyfriends are supportive of their women's hair loss, there are always those who aren't. They judge, they don't understand.. they feel it's unnatural, unattractive, and not sexy. But lets be real, we are given hair, we live with hair, and when it's gone that itself is unnatural whether we are men or women. I know I've felt this was my god given gift, and it has been hard to let go of feeling that this (my hair) was owed to me. Life is unpredictable, there are people born with eyes, legs and arms, who today are missing something they too were born with.. their god given gifts. I try to realize that we have to learn to adapt, to adjust to who we are today and to accept ourselves. If we feel comfortable and confident in our own skin, others will feel comfortable with us as well. Confidence annihilates the appearance of hair loss. The trick is finding confidence when hair loss reduces it along with our self esteem. I met a dear friend of mine in New York a few years ago, she is someone I met online who shaves her head completely. Her husband and children are more than supportive. We went out to a pretty fancy restaurant, and what I noticed, was that no one even did a double take, or stared at her. For all intents and purposes, she had more hair (with her shaved head) than I did. Why? Because she owned it. She was confident in who she is and how she looked. I was self conscious, working hard to disguise my hair loss, spending an hour and half blow drying my hair in every which way, and concerned about the overhead lighting in the restaurant. She shaved it, splashed glittered on it, and looked stunning.

We need to own who we are today, feel good about who we are today. There is only so much we can do to change the amount of hairs we have, but there is a lot we can do to change how we interact with the world and perceive our own self worth. We are all beautiful, I believe that. Now we need to believe that about ourselves.

As my final note, I'll end on penis size, why not right? Since you've touched on that I want to provide additional perspective on that. I haven't met many women who truly cared about that. Women joke about that to men because it's something we learn at a very young age, that can hurt you guys. It's an insult (because someone a hundreds years ago must have said it was) and when you want to lash out, kick low.. literally. I have found that men care much more about their penis size, than women ever did.

Okay, that's my two cents, just needed you guys to know that us women are out here, we hide ourselves well, but the suffering is just the same.

Much love to all.

^^^^^^^^^Wisdom

[Fixed by 35]

It would be interesting to garner statistics on whether baldness is on the rise, especially in women. I notice many women around town with thinning hair and I'll bet many more wear wigs. Either women were phenomenal at hiding baldness for thousands of years, or its been rising significantly in the 20th century.

For the record, I don't think hair is particularly important to the attractiveness of either gender. I've seen plenty of women who are attractive without hair although I will qualify that; it would be wrong for me to claim any moral superiority from this opinion, the reality is that because female baldness is a lot less common I frequently make the assumption that women without hair are undergoing chemotherapy so I'm just as gullible to prejudice as the next man.

I think hair is far more important for a person's individuality than for their attractiveness. I think subconsciously that's why insecure bald men go to the gym a lot and start growing weird facial hair. People's faces are much harder to distinguish without hair (perhaps that's why a trendy pair of glasses are essential to a bald person).

For the same reason, I think this is why bald people never win elections. It's not the attractiveness that matters. Let's be honest, Margaret Thatcher had a face like a slapped arse but she still won three elections in a row, the only Prime Minister to do so in the 20th century. Harold Wilson, himself successful in elections at the dawn of the mass media age, looked like a chain smoking gnome and wore a dirty mac everywhere he went.

The trouble for bald politicians is that they are faceless and faceless people come across as less trustworthy in the minds of the meek. Their features are also more easily forgettable. It's been well established in politics that to be successful you have to distinguish yourself and to make yourself known. Actually, I think that might be why bald politicians go for the comb over. They need something for the cartoonists to remember them by. But it also makes them look insecure! The alternative is to be easily forgettable (or to be enormously fat, like Nicholas Soames).

Also, perhaps in politics baldness is a sign of failure. People think politicians at the highest level need to achieve superhuman feats, yet some of them can't even keep their hair.... do bear in mind many people actually think we caused our own baldness.

But I'm rambling now.

[R66]

Physically, I think men have it easier PROVIDING you don't lose hair young. Women have to deal with a pile of **** that we don't (periods, hair removal, physical vulnerability, etc.). However, if a young guy loses hair it overrides all this **** women go through.

Which sex has the easier life socially depends on 2 main things:

1 - How ambitious you are. If you want a high flying career and a family (alpha person) it's easier to be a man. If you don't care about the career, and you're happy to be kept (beta person), women have it easier.

2 - Age. Women have it easier in the dating game until about 30 (as they only have to look good to be successful, whilst men have to have a job/car/confidence, etc.). After 30, though, as women's looks begin to fade, men gradually gain the upper hand, and a good looking 30/40 something man can date younger women, whilst a 30/40 something woman has very few great options.

[Weedwacker]

Ok Fixed, it looks as though we'll have to agree to disagree on a few issues;fair enough. Men and women have different double standards with with to deal;I just believe that womens' problems are things of which people are aware. When I began balding at the age of 17, no one had a clue as to how brutal it was for me. Being a guy, I am expected to suck it up and not let it affect me;personally, I find that pathetic. It's almost insulting that, being male, I am not supposed to have any feelings;especially with regard to losing my hair at such a young age. Premature baldness is a form of premature aging;it is similar to a 17 year old boy or girl developing the wrinkles of an 80 year old. When my Mother was dying, which also occured when I was 17, she had a great deal of guilt over the fact that I was going bald;it was almost as though she felt that she was responsible for giving me the genes. I don't know whom I received my baldness genes from;my maternal Grandfather, who I believe was Welsh and Scottish, was very bald at a young age;however, my paternal Grandfather, who was a Swedish immigrant, was a complete Norwood VI in the few pictures I have seen of him.

"Womenshairlossproject," thank you for your thoughts. I agree that there are balding women who must be devastated by their hairloss. Indeed, it is true that femininity is associated with hair. however;I will say that, in some ways it may have been easier if a had been female because wearing hair replacement would have been something that most people would agree is normal for a girl. The GREATEST misconception among the public is that guys are not affected by baldness. As a guy, it is not accepted to wear a hairpiece, and thus, you are mocked. It is easier to embellish or prettify yourself if you are a woman because, fair or not, that's the norm. Strangely, it may have been easier for me if I was expected to wear a hairpiece;I would not have been derided for doing so. I have seen some women who trim their hair very short and look great. If I had a girlfriend whose hair was thinning, I would encourage her to wear some form of hair replacement if that was her wish. If she wanted to wear a wig or bandana, I would be accepting of that as well. I am not shallow enough to care that much. If she looked good to me I wouldn't care. Some women crop their hair short for style and look great. Unfortunately, most people, irrespective of gender, do not look so good with significant hairloss. Personally, I have seen a number of women whose hair is thinning. I had a boss at work who had rather significant hairloss and one day it was gone;so, I assume she got hair replacement. In addition, I saw a cashier who worked at a local food store, who was losing her hair;again, she did something about it because I saw her again one time and she had a full head of hair. Perhaps, there are environmental elements involved in the escalating phenomenon of hairloss. There are so many chemicals in the environment, most of which have not been thoroughly tested for safety. It is thought that, as a result of blood-testing, that most modern people have somewhere in the vicinity of 100 industrial chemicals in their bodies;who the hell knows what that does. Lastly, in the women who I have seen who are thinning, it is not as severe a form of hairloss as the hairloss of MPB. If I had some thinning on top, but had enough hair to frame my face, I would be grateful. At least I would have more to work, and hence, would have more hair replacement options. Full Norwood VI pattern baldness is very rare in women. I was COMPLETELY bald by 21, and hence, was unrecognizable to my former self. It's especially a kick in the nuts when my previous self, who had a thick head of wavy hair, and who had girls all over me, is rendered a destroyed image. I was known for my great hair, and look, but then overnight it was decimated. As human beings, we are all born with physical and psychological strengths and weaknesses. I am 5'10 and have a somewhat slender/average build. I wasn't given any great physical attributes other than my former looks;that was my strength. For the sake of debate, it really doesn't matter whether I was attractive or not; what matters is being me. I look at the mirror everyday and see a shadow of my former self. It's all about self-perception and identity.

Finally, it is true that women are expected to look young;for men, not as much. It's not as much about looking young for men as it is looking "good." A bald man will not get elected, period. I believe one of the reasons that Rudy Guliani lost to John McCain is because he is bald. A bald man does not have the "image" for politics. There is a James Bond element to our culture;people want a man who has that image and swagger. Bald men are looked at as pathetic. For the sake of history, for mellenia men who lost in battles were coerced into shaving their heads as a sign of submission;the same can be said for criminals. Shaving the heads of foes who lost in combat was done because the shaved-head has historically been a sign of weakness. Inmates and soldiers were forced to shave their heads because they were forced to lose their power and individuality.There are two scenarios involved here: the first of which is the man who shaves his head for style. The second is the man who shaves his head because of denial. Many men shave their heads because they cannot accept the fact that they are bald;to me, that is no different than wearing a combover. Conversely, there are guys who buzz it close for style or pulchritude. When I have shaved my head(and I have done it many times)I am more depressed because I completely lose my face;moreover, I look like an Albino alien. When I was 20, I shaved my head and went to the tanning salon. I felt ok for a while, but it didn't work because I WAS STILL BALD! In fact, I was MORE BALD! If it works for a guy, all power to you. When you shave your head, you have to be very careful to hold a small mirror in front of you while standing in front of a larger mirror;the point of which is to see how your head looks from the profile as well as posterior views. Many men do not do this; they walk around with a head that looks like a deformed turnip. It's better, in my opinion, to just accept the fact that you are a bald man;to me, it may be a sign of weakness if you are in denial and cannot accept your hairloss. As we have discussed, weakness is not sexy in a man. Some people look at head-shaving as a sign of confidence;philosophically, I don't get it. If a bloke buzzes it short because it truly looks better, all power to him;however, I see a lot of guys now, some of whom ARE NOT BALD, who shave without knowing what their heads look like;these guys are the ones who are in denial, or they're just trying to look macho. In American culture, there is great emphasis on men looking macho;I don't even know what the **** that means. Many guys like to intimidate others with their appearance, I suppose. Shaving your head DOES NOT make you more "manly" or tough, it just usually makes you look like a putz. If a man is concerned with being "manly", he would train at a boxing gym or traditional martial arts school for 15 years. Men who are secure in their masculinity do not need to try to get attention by looking like a criminal. There are plenty of guys out there who are boxers/martial artists, who look like gay hairdressers(by the way, I have no problem with gay people, I have a friend who is gay) and who would wreck most men(including the headshaven macho freaks)in a streetfight. Unless you look good with it, a shaved head is not a viable option for most of us;it's a sign of insecurity.

Lastly Fixed, have you entertained the notion of getting a hairpiece. I know it's a pain in the ass;however, if your appearance and image have been dramatically affected by your hairloss, well, it may work for you. You could move to another province or country, and begin a new life;no one would know. Seeing as you are self-employed, is that plausible? Personally, having worn a hairpiece, it can be of use. I am fortunate to have a decently shaped head;therefore, I crop it short to about a #1 on the buzzer. My facial features are molded into my skull in such a way that I look decent;I have gotten attention from women. Move to the Philippines or Thailand where people are less concerned about vanity;furthermore, many women there are attracted to Western men.

[dgman21]

Hairloss sucks liked your saying. I would rather shave my head before I wear a hearpiece cause its fake and your still gonna see yourself for who you are in the mornings when your not wearing it. Also the fear of wind/rain/swimming...I used to enjoy that.
Self confidence is extremely important for men and to attract women. HAIRLOSS FCKN SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Weedwacker]

I just realized how poorly I paragraphed my previous post;all apologies.