Men's Hair Loss & Television / Media

[TeeJay73]

What's Up Everyone:

I thought I'd start a post about about how men's hair loss is portrayed by television and the media. No surprises here: television and the media believe they have free reign to make fun of hair loss sufferers, apparently not believing that we have any sensitivities about it, feelings of depression, feelings of desperation, lower self confidence levels, lower self esteem levels, and everything else that comes with this "cancer of the spirit".

The reason I bring this up is because while flipping thru channels on my TV last nite, I saw 3 television shows readily poking fun at hair loss.

First, I tuned into a very goofy comedy movie starring Rob Schneider called "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo". Schneider's love interest in this movie is a tech in a hair transplant clinic, so hair transplants are a recurring joke theme in this movie. Schneider's love interest in this movie is shown driving a chisel into the back of a guy's head during an HT procedure. Now, I guess if hair loss and HTs are going to be made fun of, a movie such as this one is arguably the right forum. But what I didn't like is how there was no apology for it whatsoever. What I mean is this --- take the movie "Shallow Hal". A huge theme of this movie is obesity, particularly in women, and how obesity relates to a woman's attractiveness. While the topic of obesity is ultra-sensitive, the movie clearly apologizes for any jokes targeted at obesity. It's apologies are either direct, such as when the movie's main character played by Jack Black professes his love for Gwyneth Paltrow's character when he first realizes she is morbidly obese, or indirectly, with the very sweet theme of the movie as a whole and it's "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" undertone. Isn't it interesting how a man's hair loss --- something he has limited or no control over --- is a fair target for jokes, while a woman's obesity --- something she has perfect control over (unless there's a genetic disorder or something of that nature) --- can't even be broached, unless clear apologies immediately follow any sort of joke and the joke is fashioned with extreme political correctness?

Next, I tuned into "Whose Line Is It Anyway", a stand-up improv comedy show. If you haven't seen it, this show has 4 stand-up comics that perform improv comedy. One of the sketches last nite was called "Superheroes", where the 4 comics improv a scene as 4 unlikely superheroes handling an unlikely world crisis. One of the comics named Colin Mockery -- a very funny guy! -- is bald, a Norwood 6 or 7. The show's host, Drew Carrey, asks the audience for a fictitious name of an unlikely superhero that they can give to Colin for the improv sketch, as well as a fictitious world crisis. And what does an audience member yell out for a superhero name? "CAPTAIN HAIR". The place erupts if laughter, and poor Colin just has to take it. And what's the world crisis that another audience member yells out? "NO MORE ROGAINE IN THE WORLD". And so it goes -- the whole skit was built on the premise of hair loss, and disregarded any deeply entrenched sensitivities that Colin may have as a result of his hair loss.

Then, I tuned into American Idol. (Okay, I admit it, I get sucked into American Idol once in a while). Ryan Seacrest is introducing the Judges at the beginning of the show, and highlights Paul Abdul's new hair style as part of her introduction. "And with the new straight hair, Paul Abdul!". He then moves onto an introduction of Simon Cowell --- "and a man who is losing his hair, Simon Cowell". The place burst out in laughter. Who knows if Simon is losing his hair, but if he is, does it really deserve to be the butt of a joke on national TV?

These 3 shows have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but each of them recklessly poked fun at hair loss without reservation. What gives? With treatment of hair loss such as this on TV and within the media, will hair loss always be the last bastion of political incorrectness?

TeeJay

[bigmac]

Unfortunately it is totally acceptable to poke fun at people with hairloss on tv and ridicule the condition.

If someone is overweight and said person is made fun of...the tv program/producers will get a barrage of complaints.

Hopefully times are slowly changing for the better.

[Winston]

It always ticks me off to hear balding jokes. It’s so insensitive and we just have to site there and take it. I wonder how it would come off it Ryan Seacrest made mention of Paula Abduls wig? In stead of complimenting her on her new hair style. It look like a wig to me.