Good Look Ink: Buzzing Your Head For a More Dominant Look

The hottest trend in men’s hairstyles is the buzzed look, says Good Look Ink Medical Director Dr. Christopher Balgobin. In the past, a man who shaved his head was seen as being rebellious, but not necessarily in a positive way. However, this has all changed, as men who shave their heads are now seen as being not only more masculine, but also more dominant than men with full heads of hair. Good Look Ink, the leader in performing scalp micropigmentation, offers men who are balding the permanent non-surgical option to achieve confident, worry free lives by giving them the illusion of having hair and making it seem as though it was their choice to buzz their head.

Academic research reflects this trend as well. According to three studies performed by Albert Mannes, PhD, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, men with shaved heads were perceived as being more dominant than men with other hairstyles. In each study, people were asked to rate men with different kinds of hairstyles. As Mannes explained to ABC News, “The results were consistent across all three studies.”

In the first study, men with shaved heads were rated as being more dominant than men who looked similar but had full heads of hair. In the second study, men with full heads of hair were compared to digitally altered images of the same men, but with their hair removed. This study also showed that the men in the digitally altered images were seen as being more dominant.

The third study focused on how men who were experiencing some level of hair loss could improve their personal lives and professional standing by shaving their heads. “If you’re balding, you might want to just finish what mother nature started and take it all off. You might be surprised by the positive effects,” Mannes told ABC News.

There are many possible reasons for this new trend. Live Science, a science and tech website, calls it the “Bruce Willis effect.” Think about all of today’s most prominent male action stars. Popular celebrities like Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Vin Diesel all regularly play characters that are ultra-masculine tough guys.

“Take, for instance, Bryan Cranston on ‘Breaking Bad.’ He went from high school teacher to hardcore drug lord just by shaving his head,” said Mannes.

Even David Beckham, British celebrity soccer player, chooses to go with the buzzed look. Dion Padan, a contributor for the men’s style website Fashion Beans, wrote that David Beckham “made the look, masculine, and contemporary. It became socially acceptable for style-conscious men to have a closely shaved head, to the joy of receding hairlines everywhere.”

Some believe that sporting a buzzed head shows leadership and confidence at work as well. Seth Godin, writer and tech savvy entrepreneur, has worn this look for 20 years and he believes that it is best to embrace what you have and turn it into an advantage. As he revealed to The Wall Street Journal, “It starts the conversation that you’ve done something active. These are people who decide to own what they have, as opposed to trying to pretend to be something else.”

What might mean the most to men struggling with their hair loss is that women agree. Julie Rath, New York image consultant, feels that it is best to take the buzzed route when the hair starts thinning because comb overs can look “kind of shlumpy” while a closely shaved head gives off a “strong, powerful, and confident” look.

Confidence, no matter what the man looks like, seems to be at the top of most women’s list of attractive characteristics. Shari, woman asked about her feelings on baldness, told Next Avenue, “It’s not the hair per se – how a man handles his hair changes is what is or isn’t attractive,” she said.

Shari continued, “Losing hair can actually be gaining something else – like the confidence that you don’t need to hide behind your hair.”

When researches asked 2,500 women to rate photos of men on their attractiveness, the results revealed that the number one feature women that look for in a man is confidence. The study demonstrated that women perceive confidence in men through the way they carry themselves and whether they listen and reflect before speaking. And, because women relate buzzed heads with confidence, says Dr. Christopher Balgobin from Good Look Ink, simply sporting a shaved head shows women that you are self-assured and confident.

This is good news for those who are experiencing hair loss. It can be difficult for men to lose their hair, as it affects not only their self-esteem, but their personal and professional lives as well. Given the momentum of the buzzed look coming into vogue, men are able to feel more comfortable and approach their hair loss with grace.

These days, there is no need for creams, pills, hairpieces, and unnatural plugs. With this new fashion statement, men can be confident in themselves without worrying whether their toupee is still in place.

For men who still want a full hairline and the look of a buzzed head, Good Look Ink offers micro pigmentation procedures that can provide that “just shaved look.” Dr. Christopher Balgobin, Good Look Ink’s Medical Director, agrees with the notion that the shaved look is here to stay: “Buzzed heads are in. Throughout time we’ve seen plenty of longer hair, but the future points to the shaved look.”

From SELENACOWELL — Read article on SELENACOWELL’s Sparkpage
Ryann Carlson contributed to this article.