I’m 21, balding, and struggling to accept that I’m starting to look awful. It’s honestly miserable. I can’t stand the sight of myself unless I’ve styled my hair just right to cover the massive recession at my temples. Looking at old photos gets me properly down, thinking back to when a full head of hair actually gave my face some shape.
I’ve started keeping to myself more. I even bailed on a pool party recently because I couldn’t bear the thought of girls seeing my hair wet. It makes the thinning way too obvious. I can’t stand being around other lads either. I just end up feeling jealous of their hair.
I won’t try to convince you that you won’t end up looking rough, because that might not be true. Everyone here’s saying it probably won’t look that bad, and they’re likely right, but let’s be honest, there are plenty of people out there who aren’t much to look at, and for all I know, you might be one of them.
If that’s the case, you’ve got two choices:
Re-think what actually matters to you, and stop putting so much weight on your appearance.
Let it eat you up, see yourself as a failure, and end up miserable and alone.
And there it is. The West’s biggest insecurity: appearance. I’ve got a lot of sympathy for anyone who ends up with the short straw. This is a society that treats looks like currency, punishes people unfairly for things out of their control, and makes them believe their face decides their worth. It’s especially tough going bald when you’re young. No point pretending otherwise.
But in the end, you still have to pick option one. Feeling sorry for yourself might come easy, but it leads straight to the path you’re trying to avoid. It doesn’t matter how tragic someone might look, if it’s out of their hands, they’ve just got to crack on.
My advice? Don’t wallow. It’s hard, and you might slip now and then, but you’ve got to pull yourself out of it. However bad you think you look, self-pity is far uglier than being bald.
By shaving my head. Took me a while to come to terms with losing my hair at 19, but the biggest step was just getting on with it and shaving it all off. Not in an “I give up” sort of way, more in a “I’m done letting this chip away at my self-esteem” kind of way. I made a choice to stop caring about something I couldn’t change.
Shaving your head or losing your hair doesn’t make you ugly. It just makes you bald. And there are far more bald people out there than you think, living perfectly ordinary lives without a fuss.
I’m 23, but I often get mistaken for someone pushing their late 30s.
Still, being a man of modesty with a decent sense of humour, I just laugh it off. Bit of a “guess what, mate – I’m 23!” followed by a good chuckle. Start acting like you don’t give a toss and, over time, your mindset starts catching up. Fake it till it feels normal.
I’m 24, and my hairline’s waved the white flag and started doing a runner. I’m not quite ready to shave it all off, but keeping it really short does the trick. Looks cleaner and more put-together. Truth be told, I look better now than I ever did with long hair.
Been bald for years now. Honestly, I look miles better with a clean shave than I ever did with hair. The moment I did it, people started treating me differently. Proper respect. Even got called “Sir.”
Not once have I wished to go back to how I was before.
Truth be told, your post is so negative I can’t quite tell if you’re taking the mick, full of yourself, or just going through a seriously rough patch.
I’m not even balding, but I shave my head because it’s low effort and far less hassle. Women faff about with styling their hair. Go bald and be done with it
I didn’t. I’ve been on medication for years now. There are some potential side effects, but I’ve managed alright. I don’t have a full head of hair and probably never will again, but I’ve slowed it enough to feel somewhat content with what I’ve got left.
I went through what you’re dealing with now. At one point I even had a comb over. I was 25 and not exactly a looker to begin with.
I get that not everyone can afford or wants to take meds like that, or use Rogaine and the rest.
But if you can’t or won’t, at least consider taking a zinc supplement. It can help slow things down a bit and it’s important for male sexual health too.