Anyone Who Never Obsessed?

[Ming the Merciless]

I've read many sad/irked stories here about the wrench that MPB inflicted on the posters, and the agonizing over what to do about it--all those stories about "plugs, rugs, or drugs."  Then the debates, "Shave it?  Should I?  Could I?  What will [fill in the blank] think about how I now look?  Maybe I should wait?"

Who here--anyone?--had no real anguish over the onset of MPB, but thought one day, "Well, I don't mind the way my hair is thinning, but, lemme see how shaving it all off suits me"?  And then thought, "Hey, way cool!" and has m.o.l. kept the razor on duty ever since?  I'm not talking yet fully-follicled BBC guys; that's another matter.  Did hair loss (at least among those in this forum) create inevitable angst or were some carefree all along? 

One data point: self.  I have no recall of ever thinking, "Oh, my God, the hair is saying farewell."  The shaving was a "Why the hell not?" decision.

[D.A.L.U.I.]

Angst, lots and lots of it.  Ever since I had a bald teacher in the 6th grade, I think it was, and a bald uncle staying at our house while his was repaired from a fire, I feared going bald--that is with a fringe.  The shaved look, Yul Brenner, Kojak, I was cool with that even then, had a teacher in high school w/ a shaved head and a Victorian Literature professor in college--both cool.  But, for me?  Those were different days, so my mpb was slow, hole at the vertex in my twenties, then some receding at the hairline by late twenties continuing through my thirties, generalized thinning on top in the forties--nothing overwhelming--but relentless, oh so relentless.  [I realized this morning that one thing that has changed is that I don't have to get out the drain snake every other month anymore--more like once a year now--wonder why ] I liked the look, as actors, sports personalities, public figures began to sport the look.  But, I deceived myself and avoided the question .  Until that spring day in 2007, why did I wait so long?  So like a lot of the guys here, I'm very much in the "Shoulda Done It Sooner" club.  Not at all a "Why the hell not?" guy.  If I were it would have been off a lot sooner I think.

[The Noggin]

I always was OK with my hair, no fancy haircuts or gel or something, every 6 weeks I had it cut short at the salon. I noticed the receding hairline and the thinning on top, but had no problem with it (around 35 I think). Maybe because I always had my older brother as an example, with MPB from his early 20's on, and still rocking the MPB look. Or because I have been living almost all of my life in a little village where men's hair just isn't an issue at all.

Two years ago, there was a moment when I asked the hairdresser to use the clippers instead of the scissors, I don't know why. I liked the look, decided to buy clippers and do it myself. Out of curiosity, over the weeks I went shorter and shorter, and at the end I decided to shave, just to try it. I loved the smooth feeling from the first day.
 
I'm considering myself as being BBC because sly is my choice.
Being bald feels natural to me.

[TheSlyBear]

No angst or anxiety here. I somehow missed the "obsess over hair" gene. Back in the early 80's, when it was clear that my hair was not long for this world, I just started buzzing it all off long before that look was "in".

Two decades later, I picked up a Mach 3 instead of the clippers.

[Rob]

I guess I must have had the start of MPB: receding at the temples, but I can honestly say I had no angst: didnt even think about it, and lived with it for years not thinking it was a problem.  Then I just decided to shave what I always considered to be a 'full head of hair', even though I'm sure others on here would have called it balding...

[Mikekoz13]

I started thinning around 22 or so. It never bothered me. We grew up poor and I was one of the few white kids in a very tough neighborhood in Balltimore City. By the time I was 15 years old I saw and experienced  things that most people are lucky enough to never experience in their entire lives.

So thinning hair didn't mean a thing to me.

I talked about shaving it for a year or two before acually doing it and then one day my wife said, "Go ahead, I think I'll like it". Gone....... no big deal.

[Razor X]

I had some angst and obsessed about it -- to a point.  I wasn't happy at the prospect of losing my hair, and I spent a considerable amount of time thinking about it.  But I never felt that my life was going to be ruined because of it and I never even considered going the plugs/drugs/rugs route.  I knew it was something that I was going to have to learn to live with and I never doubted that I would.  What I never expected was that I'd ever like being bald so much.   

[Kojak]

When I started losing my hair I was pissed. lol I had great hair and never thought I would lose it.

I am at a point in my life where I could really care less about what people think about my grooming choices. Some love it, some wonder why, some don't say anything, but I am still the same person with or without hair.

[Rob-Raz]

Almost always wore my hair pretty short. Shaved it down with clippers in my early twenties...just cause I liked the look.  In my late twenties....let it grow out a bit and realized...hmmm..some of this stuff just isnt coming back!     Oh well....back to what I know and clipper shaved up until 30 days ago when I finally went Sly.  So to be honest....no real anguish here.   

[kenny57028]

I obsessed about it alot as I've always been a  bit self consicous of the way I looked. I would look in the mirror with a handheld mirror to look at my hair from the top... oh how much grief it gave me. Very glad to be past that stage in my life.

[Sgt. Pate]

Nope, no angst here either.  My thin hair was a pain in the butt to style etc.  After I shaved my head I thought I had just accomplished what nature was taking her sweet a$$ time to do and I wondered why I hadn't done it years earlier.  No regrets, I felt such freedom from hair bondage. 

[Magoo]

Never gave loss of hair much thought. It came on slowly so I was ready when the time came for action.

[Nate]

Never gave loss of hair much thought. It came on slowly so I was ready when the time came for action.

I guess this is really where I and alot of these guys are at in making decisions

Its not the entire case of having no hair left for mine its trying to find acceptance in myself and for how long will my hair look ok at this length... and then shorter and shorter.... until sly. I figure its a fine line of what looks good and looks plain silly (with Male Pattern Baldness)

So its that decision of when is that time for action and I guess we are all different in how it affects us and the psychological issues each person faces when making decisions based on what step we take next with our hair or no hair as it may be.

[Rob]

come to think of it, I DID obsess quite a bit before I became SLY: but my obsessing wasnt so much about losing my hair, but being eager to be rid of it!  I obsessed about being bald, and shaving it all off, and thinking how much I wanted to be SLY!

[Nate]

Put my motorcycle up for sale. I am only restricted rider but own a Suzuki RGV 250 so its going out the door (so many scam artists are contacting me to buy it ridiculous as if I would ship it to China)

I am not a Harley fan. I can only get another 250 so time for an Aprilia RS 250

So when this happens I bid all you guys farewell I doubt I will live very long