Peteman, congratulations on joining the Brotherhood of Sly. You are in the company of some really fine people - each one with his own story. No generalizations apply here.
I always feel that people look at us and their first impression is that we are bald. Then after that, they can see our other features, both physical and personality-wise.
I might be reading more into that line (above) but it strikes me as feeling a bit embarrassed or paranoid about being bald or sly. You need to work on your perception, so that you consider it a positive attribute rather than a detriment. From a purely physical perspective, bald guys can be among the most handsome in a crowd. A lot has to do with their inner sense of worth and how they hold themselves proud and with confidence.
My phase in the acceptance process, I guess, is that baldness is at the forefront of my mind and I'm overthinking everything! I now notice more and more bald guys in my day-to-day life, but I'm also just thinking more and more about how other people are seeing me. Is being a bald guy their first impression of me? If it is than what do they think about it and how does that effect how they will talk to me? How does it effect how I talk to other people? When does the time come when I can forget about how I look and just accept that for the rest of my life I'm gonna wear the same hair style and have a very distinguishing physical feature that stands out in a crowd of people?
I'm in my 50s and went sly two weeks ago - by choice. I still had all my hair but it was gray and I was feeling older than I am (50s). So off it went - in fact, I'd had a date in mind to shave it all, but once committed to the thought I couldn't wait and it occurred earlier. Too bad it wasn't years ago! Given the choice, I'd much rather be the "bald guy" than the "old guy."
I'm in the tourism industry and "meet" thousands of people everyday. Although they may see me as bald, I expect they are more likely to assess me as friendly with a welcoming smile, well-mannered, outgoing (which I haven't always been) ... and confident in myself. Being bald just reinforces my confidence.
The only thing which
has changed is that I notice how many more bald guys there are than I noticed before. Suddenly, being bald isn't really that a unique characteristic. So I don't think anyone really thinks anything of it now. And thinking back to when I met bald guys before I'd shaved, their lack of hair was never the first thing I noticed about them.
All that said ... I hope you are beginning to feel that baldness won't be the primary distinguishing characteristic for you, that you will enjoy the camaraderie of your fellow-Sly brethren, and appreciate the freedom from having to worry about "all things hair" as you move forward.
Life has so much to offer when we move past our unfounded insecurities.
Welcome. You wear the look well. If anyone does stare, you should accept it as admiration.