Society has gotten to a point where thanks to social media and filters, beauty standards are often unattainable and fashion styles are changing before we even get a chance to wear them. So where do all these trends sit with bald guys? A few brands are now saying ‘less is more’ and as bald men, that is a trend we can get on board with.
Aspiring For Perfection
There is a quote by French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, most notably known for his all-time classic “The Little Prince”, that has stuck with me ever since I first read it:
“Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.”
In a world where we’re encouraged to buy more, do more, have more, pretend more at every corner, those words are worth spending a few minutes on.
Many things around us are changing faster than ever – and the pace of change is increasing almost exponentially. Houses get bigger. Cars get faster. Computers get more powerful. And yes, Crypto Billionaires are now a thing. Sometimes it’s hard to spend even one day without hearing about some new record-breaking event somewhere, instantly communicated to billions of people around the world through seemingly unlimited channels of media.
The Influencer illusion
On a personal level, influencers have taken “good looks” and superficial improvements to the next level. Most people are blissfully ignorant of the professional teams of stylists and camera people behind many of the influencers that set the standards for good looks nowadays. And it does not stop there: Plastic surgery among influencers is rampant.
Newsflash: It’s a race you cannot win.
You’ll never look like them. And even if you did in real life – their teams and filters will still make them beat you.
The question is: Do you have to look like them? Or like anything society tells you to?
Simplistic Style
An important lesson can be learned from one of the world’s most valuable companies and most beloved brands. In a 1977 commercial, Apple used William Gaddiss’ quote as a slogan:
If following the “less is more” mantra has worked for Apple, why would it not work for you?
Ignore the ballsiness of comparing guys like you and me to an iconic brand like Apple for a moment and bear with me. Apple quickly realized that there was no point in even participating in the arms race for including evermore “stuff” in their devices. To this day, there are competitor products in every single one of Apple’s categories that do “more”. But counterintuitively, Apple does not waste time in adding “more” to their devices but instead strip away anything that’s not needed and focus on making what’s left as awesome as possible.
They don’t look to others for standards – they create them.
My Unique Story
Applying this to my own life, I quickly realised that it was hard to keep up with what was defined as good looks in my early 30s. I could not walk a mile without seeing some dude with amazing hair, or going past some barbershop with all the latest haircuts for handsome guys.
As you will read in my full length personal story “Dark Blonde to Bald” I tried hard. I changed my hairstyle to hide my growing forehead and started using Propecia to stop my hair loss. I even considered hair implants for a brief period of time.
Then I took a step back and remembered that quote.
My genetic disposition forced me to add more and more to keep up. But what if I created my own standard, instead of frantically trying to adhere to what society told me the standard was?
In January of 2015, at age 32, after years of testosterone blockers and hundreds of looks into the mirror lamenting my growing forehead, I took the plunge and shaved it all clean.
Now, 6 years later, I can honestly say that it was the best decision regarding my looks I’ve ever made. I’ve kept a clean-shaven head ever since, with a beard of varying length, and I’ve never felt more confident.
Click here to read Markus’s full hair loss story
Gone are the days of worried looks in the mirror and a pill every morning. I have not touched hair gel or worried about my head once since that moment. I’ve taken myself out of the race, and I get more compliments than ever before. My wife loves it, and would not allow me to go back even if I wanted to.
Make Your Bald Head Work For You
If you struggle with hair loss, I want to encourage you to consider doing the same.
There will always be an Android phone with flashier features than even the latest iPhone.
There will always be someone with better hair than you, no matter how many pills or even implants you consider.
I have nothing left to take away – and that’s how I have achieved perfection.
Go ahead, try it: Aim for simplicity. And you will achieve the ultimate sophistication.few
