Author Topic: What were your main concerns when you went Sly and how did you overcome them?  (Read 11072 times)

Offline Baldan

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I thought I would start this topic as as one that could reassure and help "Sly Guys in Training" such as myself as well as those who haven't yet made the bold step of baldness.

What were your main concerns when you went bald (i.e negative feedback, odd shaped head, too much shine, people mocked you, you were the brunt of most jokes etc..etc...) ?

One of my concerns and how I overcame it.

One of mine was that when I went bald... I loved it at first sight and thought it was the best decision I had ever made (considering I always hated the way my hair was - thinning and just generally bad!). Until people (generally family!) started to say I looked better with hair than without! (I now think that it was mainly due to shock regardless of how much better I look)... anyway this created a predicament for me, was I to grow my hair back even though I hated it or was I to take any negative comments with a pinch of salt...

Well I'm now happy to say I took the comments with a pinch of salt and said to myself that I would give baldness a go because I simply prefer it... if people didn't like the way I looked, then so be it. There are billions of people in the world and not everyone WILL find you attractive.

I now know that there are more people in the world who will find you attractive if your confident about the way you look than if you aren't!

I am now part of a great "pulling" cycle... The more people that like the way my confidence makes me look, the more confident I get which means the more people that find me attractive etc etc! and the cycle goes on and on.

I still feel sometimes there are people that just don't like the way I look regardless of how confident I am (simply because not EVERYONE will be attracted to me - and I accept that).

However I now delight in the fact that more people in the world will find me attractive because 1) I DO look better and 2) I KNOW I look better (confidence).


To my SLY brothers... What were your concerns and how did you overcome them?

To the Pre-Sly... If your not sure about going sly, your obviously not sure about your noggin at the moment so you MUST do it! Hopefully with the help from others on this forum, you WILL overcome your fears and your non-confident days will be a thing of the past!
« Last Edit: June 04, 2007, 09:38:41 AM by Baldan »


WHAT THE HECK ARE BAD HAIR DAYS?

Offline Argyle

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Just thought i would say great post
A SBG's head shines so other SBG's always have the opportunity to see the reflection of how good they look!

Offline Tyler

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I know my answer doesn't really answer the question the way you intended, but here it goes.

I first shaved (with clippers) my head before going on a hunting trip to Montana.  So, my only major concern was that my head was going to get too cold while I was out there.  When I got back, so many people gave me compliments on my new look that I decided to keep it.
People are not limited by the circumstance that they are born in. They are limited by the size of their dreams. Show them that their dreams can have no limits and in turn their accomplishments can be limitless.

Offline Rhymez

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When I went sly, all I was worried about was what people would say at school. For the first couple of days, I got weird looks, because people were so used to seing me with hair, but after a couple of weeks, people started saying I looked a lot better.

Offline Baldan

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Hey S&S... I think that's a common concern.

Regardless of how much you like your new look, you still hope that everyone agrees with you.

As soon as people (friends and especially family) were over the shock, they couldn't stop giving me compliments. Nowadays, my pals have had to "up their game" so to speak when it comes to picking up women in bars. Before it was an easy ride for them with their full head of hair... now chicks can't get enough of my SLY look.

For example, the weekend just gone, they were the only ones who went back empty handed. I hope they don't follow suit and go SLY too as Im currently enjoying having it much easier than them!
WHAT THE HECK ARE BAD HAIR DAYS?

Offline Razorhead

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Great post! My concerns were pretty much the same. Mostly fear of people's reaction and what they would say. I was buzzing my hair shorter and shorter for sometime and wanted to shave it with a razor. People told me I had a nice shaped head and I liked the way I looked clipper shaved.  I bought a headblade which sat on counter in it's package. It took me about 3 months of talking about razor shaving my head but with no action. One night I finally psyched myself up. Within a matter of minutes I jumped in the shower to soften my hair (a no guard buzz cut at the time), jumped out, lathered up, and took the first swiped across my head. Of course there's no turning back at that point. The feel of gliding my fingers for the first time across the freshly shaved area was amazing.

Shaving my head was a feel of relief and victory at the same time. I finally did something that I wanted to do. It was a desire of mine to shave. I figure it's my life. It's short. Might as well live it. Can't worry about what other think. That was my rationale.

After I shaved, I loved it right away. And knew the look was for me right away. No turning back.





Offline Paul

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My going sly was a result of a charity event.   There were no immediate concerns as there was a lot of applause, laughter, kidding during the event and it was all for a good cause.  When I awoke the next morning it was "What the he11 have I done?   Like some have already said, the major concern was what would those who had not seen me before say?  How would members of my family and my g/f react?  A little bit of that anxiety can still surface when going somewhere knowing old friends or family who I haven't seen in a while will be in attendance.  The only way to handle it, in my mind, is to walk in there confidently and boldly and usually NOTHING happens.  It is almost always a nonevent.  If you are confident with your appearance and who you are no one else reacts to it.  I just passed my seventh month of being sly, and this last week was a bit of a test for me seeing people who had not seen me before   I am proud to say I don't see that I will ever feel anything but confident about it again.     It has now become a part of who I am.   
"...and I--I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  Robert Frost

Offline Razorhead

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... It is almost always a nonevent.  If you are confident with your appearance and who you are no one else reacts to it.  ....It has now become a part of who I am.   

I couldn't agree with you more Paul.  For most people there is no reaction to your headshaved because it is about confidence. I only get ribbing from my buddies and it's always in good spirit and fun. The camaraderie that it generates help make my headshaving part of me.

Offline Paul

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... It is almost always a nonevent.  If you are confident with your appearance and who you are no one else reacts to it.  ....It has now become a part of who I am.   

I couldn't agree with you more Paul.  For most people there is no reaction to your headshaved because it is about confidence. I only get ribbing from my buddies and it's always in good spirit and fun. The camaraderie that it generates help make my headshaving part of me.


There is no doubt about the comaraderie of being sly...but even when you are all alone it is fun and interesting.   I have been getting an awful lot of stares up here for being the only sly guy around.  Rather than finding it intimidating I am getting a kick out of it, I confidently look them in the eye and smile and usually get a smile or nod back. It can be a real conversation starter with women who seem intrigued by a guy who would shave his head and have been told by several I know up here that they really like it.  (Alas no head rubs yet)
« Last Edit: June 06, 2007, 01:03:30 PM by Paul »
"...and I--I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  Robert Frost

Offline Jay

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... It is almost always a nonevent.  If you are confident with your appearance and who you are no one else reacts to it.  ....It has now become a part of who I am.   

I couldn't agree with you more Paul.  For most people there is no reaction to your headshaved because it is about confidence. I only get ribbing from my buddies and it's always in good spirit and fun. The camaraderie that it generates help make my headshaving part of me.


I was amazed at how many people didn't care.

Offline danyroo

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Well I guess major concern was what would my family think (bro,sist. father, mother) as we don't want to disapoint them..

well I can say it was a big THING for them  :Xo! :Xo! >:( >:( @c3.. so it was hard so I kind of got mad and brushed them off.. and I was not nice about it either.

even after 9 years.. especially when I didn't shave for a few weeks or so.. then shave it off.. WTF you doing..

last summer after a month of hair growing went to our family place at the lake.. freshly shaved for vacation their for a week.. my father saw me and started his seen.. ok he's old school I said  listen i'm here for a week and if your going to bitching about me shaving I'm not even unpacking.. consider yourself lucky you brought up a good man, respectful man, an honest man.. who loves you both and only wants your respect...not your wishes or commands..

I live in a small town where pretty much everyone knows each other. and for my parents who's in their 60's is almost an embaresment..
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Offline schro

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Given I was practically bald on top before going sly, I knew I had a good shaped head for finishing the job that Mother Nature started. However, I was a little concerned about reactions. Those quickly ended when I got almost 100% compliments on the new look (wife still hates it...confirmed again last night).

Again, I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but if you suffer from a scalp condition (such as sebhorreic dermititis like me), you'll find that shaving your head makes it virtually non-exsistent. For that reason alone, I plan on keeping it sly.

Cheers!
Schro


Agonizing over what cannot be is an insult to what is.

Offline danyroo

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schro.. I got the confirmation this morning also.. as I was stepping out of the shower I asked My wife.. so.. how is it..

she said I liked it better lastnight when it was just velcro look but it's your head..  :@`
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Offline schro

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Well danyroo, looks like you & I are in the same boat.
Great wives, but clueless on the way of sly. Oh well, their loss.  O0


Agonizing over what cannot be is an insult to what is.

Offline PBurke

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the day that i actually went sly, my biggest concern was " Am I gonna miss the second half?" my story goes like this. the wife and i were talking about my hair. she said i should grow it out. so i asked her to help me figure out some way to fix it until it grows out. we decided that at halftime of the football game we were watching we would play around with it. when she started fooling around with my hair she said " it is getting thinner up here." so i got the clippers and she buzzed it with no guard. then i went to the bathroom and shaved it. and still got to see most of the second half of the game. i guess you could say i shaved on a whim. but hey, it got me here and i have had the chance to get to know all of you great people. so it was very worth it.
« Last Edit: June 06, 2007, 05:18:23 PM by PBurke »


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