Author Topic: Young guy?  (Read 4784 times)

Offline Youllbealright

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Young guy?
« on: July 17, 2011, 07:15:28 PM »
Hi! new here, need some help. I am 19 and well unfortunately showing signs of a receding hairline. I am really interested in shaving my head bald, my girlfriend loves the idea, but my parents hate it! I asked my father (who lost his hair and sports a horshoe) do you think I would look good with a shaved head? He just said I would look like a skinhead! Same with my mother! Obviously I am not a skinhead! Is this an issue with younger white men who sport shaved heads? I also have my ears pierced, would this add to the problem? I honestly think I would look great because of my face and the shape of my head! Does anybody ever think of a skinhead when they see a young guy having one?



Offline Razor X

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #1 on: July 17, 2011, 07:22:37 PM »
Parents will almost always try to talk you out of shaving.  If you want to do it, then do it and don't worry about what anyone else thinks.  You won't look like a skinhead unless you're dressed in military fatigues and combat boots and have a lot of swastika tattoos

Offline Bluebriz

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #2 on: August 22, 2011, 11:37:10 PM »
Hi! new here, need some help. I am 19 and well unfortunately showing signs of a receding hairline. I am really interested in shaving my head bald, my girlfriend loves the idea, but my parents hate it! I asked my father (who lost his hair and sports a horshoe) do you think I would look good with a shaved head? He just said I would look like a skinhead! Same with my mother! Obviously I am not a skinhead! Is this an issue with younger white men who sport shaved heads? I also have my ears pierced, would this add to the problem? I honestly think I would look great because of my face and the shape of my head! Does anybody ever think of a skinhead when they see a young guy having one?

I think the skinhead thing is more to do with the demeanour and attitude of a person.  If you are trying to look and appear aggressive, that will show clearly to other people, shaven head or not.   Even if people see a shaved head and think "skinhead", a 10 second conversation will show them how wrong they are and help dispel such misconceptions.    Do what feels right for you and what makes you happy.  Your parents will come around, i'm sure of it!

Offline Arnie

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2011, 01:42:43 PM »
Knowing what I know now...I wish I went SLY when I was 19.

Offline buddha

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #4 on: August 23, 2011, 04:01:18 PM »
I'm with Bluebriz and Razor, it's in the way I present myself. If I dress in a stereotypical "skin" fashion it seems logical that people will mistake me for just that. Also, if I try to put on a tough guy attitude like I'm mad at the world I'll be mistaken for something other than what I am.
Humility and kindness are the things I try, mostly unsuccessfully, to remember. But I get it right sometimes.
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Offline Bilko1

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #5 on: August 24, 2011, 02:59:06 PM »
If you want to shave your head then as Nike say's; "Just Do It!"
Your parents & relatives will get used to it over time.

Let your girlfriend buzz your head with clippers & then either let her shave your head or get a barber to do it the first time.

You & your girlfriend will love the feel of your smooth head.

All the best.
BaldBill

Offline ronthejazzcat

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #6 on: August 26, 2011, 10:40:57 PM »
Here's a little history lesson for you, Youllbealright, that you can use to hopefully change people's perspectives about skinheads and the origins of the sly look.

Most people don't realize that the only reason why skinheads are associated with the Neo-Nazi movement is because there was a small group of "skinheads" that happened to be involved with the movement back in the day. At that point in time, being sly was not a common or widely accepted look, and the media (go figure) created the skinhead = Neo-Nazi stereotype.

History of the REAL skinheads...

During the economic prosperity following WWII, there was a culture of people called "mods" who, thanks to the recent increases in disposable income in the working class, identified themseves by wearing the latest fashions/clothing (think the bros of today). Those mods that couldn't afford the latest styles and fashions outfitted themselves with more practical clothing, such as bracers, straight leg jeans and the oh so famous Doc Martens, and spent what money they could save on expensive-looking  suits to go clubbing in dance halls (clubs that played ska, early reggae, and other Jamacian influenced music).

Eventually there was a gradual splitting of the subculture in to the peacock mods (all of the newly rich mods with their fancy styles) and the hard mods (the working class mods). The rift between the two cultures gave rise to a closely cropped or buzzed haircut that signified the working class mods. It was these hard mods with their humble origins who eventually became known as skinheads for their short haircut. Unfortunately their bad reputation was already beginning to build, thanks to the large increase in gang activity in working class neighborhoods.

Eventually the look spread to other parts of the world in the 60's and 70's, including the US (e.g punk culture). Far right political groups began to pop up in Britain around the same time, with skinheads forming the majority of their ranks because of their conservative political beliefs compared to the liberal middle class. The British media and popular opinion made the (false) connection that being a skinhead meant being a member of the extreme right-wing, and the stereotype has stuck ever since.

The truth is, very few skinheads actually were a part of the Neo-Nazi movement. It just looked that way because of all the heavy attention the Nazi Socialist Party was getting in the news. The reality of it was that most skinheads actually rejected both the extreme left and right in favor of a more moderate/centrist standpoint (This is really apparent in ska music from the 60's and 70's). In fact, a couple skinhead groups were at the very forefront of some of the earliest tolerance movements in Britain and the US, including the Glasgow Spy Kids, the Minneapolis Baldies, SHARP (Skinheads Against Racial Predjudice) and the ARA (I forget what that stands for, I think Anti Racist Association or something like that).


Now that I've said my bit about the annoying misconceptions of what skinhead means, I can say this with confidence: Go for the sly, and wear it with pride. The next time someone calls you a skinhead in a negative way, you can politely correct them and try to change the misconceptions about the origins of Sly as a fashion statement.

Offline Rube

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2011, 03:24:47 PM »
Here's a little history lesson for you, Youllbealright, that you can use to hopefully change people's perspectives about skinheads and the origins of the sly look.

Most people don't realize that the only reason why skinheads are associated with the Neo-Nazi movement is because there was a small group of "skinheads" that happened to be involved with the movement back in the day. At that point in time, being sly was not a common or widely accepted look, and the media (go figure) created the skinhead = Neo-Nazi stereotype.

Thanks for all the info, man. I just shaved my head yesterday afternoon, and since then I've gotten quite a few Nazi/racist comments. It's good to know that the people making those comments have no idea what they're talking about, and that they're just acting like sheep in the media's flock. It kind of makes me want to keep the shaved look, because it makes me feel like I'm refusing to follow the beaten path. Maybe that's one of the reasons so many people on here have said shaving their heads increased their confidence.

Offline ronthejazzcat

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Re: Young guy?
« Reply #8 on: August 28, 2011, 04:08:46 PM »
There is a sense of feeling less like other people's opinions matter when going sly. Sure, most people can be supportive, but the ones who make jest are the ones that give you that power of confidence... :) I'm not saying that's even close to the whole reason, but definitely seemed to play a role with me.

 



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