Don't Mock Dudes With Hair Plugs

When dudes get hair transplant surgery, should they tell their friends and colleagues? And if so, do they risk being mocked for their “manity?”

According to the BBC, footballer Wayne Rooney tweeted about his hair replacement over the weekend: “I was going bald at 25 — why not. I’m delighted with the result.” Men’s Health editor Mike Shallcross tells the BBC that Rooney’s open approach is a good one: “I think it was admirable that he was so upfront. It is worse having had something obvious done, but trying to pretend nothing has happened.” But the BBC’s Kathryn Westcott writes, “telling people you have had hair transplant surgery can elicit accusations of ‘manity’ — male vanity.” What’s a guy to do?

Many ladies couldn’t care less whether a dude is balding. I could present a whole analysis of why this often doesn’t really matter, but instead here is Jason Statham. That said, it’s not fair to make guys’ appearance choices all about what women want. For starters, it’s heteronormative. Second, women often do things to/with their bodies are more about their own confidence and self-image than they are about what their potential sex partners will think — why shouldn’t men do the same? Of course, all genders are subject to the restrictive standards of conventional attractiveness, and this sucks for all concerned. But there’s a difference between questioning how cultural attitudes damage guys’ body image and dissing them for their “manity” (what’s the adjectival form of this? Main?).

I agree with Shallcross that guys should probably own up to their hair transplants without making a huge deal about it. We’re going to notice that you’re not bald all of a sudden. We probably thought you looked fine before, but this may not be about us. And while it’d be nice if we lived in a world where every dude could own his balditude, ragging on guys for their hair plugs doesn’t get us closer to that world. But showing more pictures of hot bald guys might.