Larry David is one of the most unapologetically bald guys in the public spotlight. He’s bald but doesn’t shave his head. In fact, he doesn’t even buzz it down. Without question, he owns this look. Completely. He is confident and he is completely comfortable in his own skin. He has no problems joking about it or calling attention to his bald head. He is not socially awkward, he is not uncomfortable around women, and he doesn’t have anxiety when it comes to meeting them.
The other day I was watching an episode of Curb your Enthusiasm with a friend. After a break in the action, my friend remarked, “you know, Larry’s got game.” I agreed without thinking twice. It’s true. Larry does have game. It’s hard for us to sync up an image of a guy that is blatantly bald with an image of a guy who is good with women.
I’ve addressed the question of whether bald guys can pick up women on several occasions. Larry David is one more piece of evidence that the conventional knowledge — that it’s more difficult for bald men to pick up women — is bullshit. So how does he do it?
Larry is neurotic, and he is the first to admit it, but he has a number of things working for him. For one, he is confident. He believes that he has something to add any social situation, even if it comes at his own expense. That brings me to number two, he is not afraid to laugh at himself. And because he is not afraid, and often does laugh at himself, he disarms almost any social situation.
Think about it for a second. You are with a group of people you just met. Everyone has introduced themselves and now it’s in the awkward in-between stage. You know what I’m talking about. The formalities are over and the small talk has been exhausted, but no one is quite ready to open up yet. Along comes a guy who has done something embarrassing, perhaps a comment or maybe he spilled something on his shirt. If he is able to laugh at himself and make it into a joke, it has the effect of disarming the whole situation. It relaxes the other people and kills the tension. While it may seem that the group is laughing at this guy, they are also somewhat under his spell because he has just taken control of the situation and put everyone at ease. This registers on some level and people notice.
You’ll also notice that Larry approaches most people with a smile. It’s a curious and genuine smile, but also one that suggests he is about to crack up at something. It puts a stamp on him that lets people know he is good humored. Furthermore, it intrigues people and invites them to engage in conversation with him. He looks like an easy guy to talk to.
Notice that in all of this analysis there is no mention of Larry being bald. Because it doesn’t matter. Sure, some women might be irreparably turned off by his baldness, but that will end up being true about almost any physical trait. There is always going to be women who are attracted to and not attracted to specific things (by the same token, some women are attracted specifically to bald guys). Larry forces people to zero in on his personality because of his confidence, his comfort in social situations, and his inviting and friendly attitude.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my How to Deal with Hair Loss ebook. It details my personal story of beating male pattern baldness, explains all the options for dealing with hair loss, and offers concrete tips and strategies for getting over it and building confidence.
Hi, I'm Phil. I started losing my hair when I was 19. After years of anxiety and stress caused by losing my hair, I realized how to get over it. Now I'm helping others do the same.
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While I agree with just about everything you’re saying, let’s not forget that Curb Your Enthusiasm is a scripted show that can be whatever it wants. It can portray a character in any way and convey a character’s sense of self confidence the way the writer intends it to. I’ve seen less attractive men like Larry in action and it’s true that self confidence, personality and charisma can compensate for a multitude of physical shortcomings. However the reference you use here is fictitious so it could be a tad misleading.
That having been said, I think what you’re doing here on this blog is nothing short of wonderful. Many of the thoughts I’m finally having regarding my hair loss are validated by so many of the things you and many of the commenters express. I think it’s great that you help people to see that it’s so much better to accept a situation and get on with living a more peaceful life. So many blogs and forums out there are dedicated to helping people find ways to disguise hair loss, yet there are too few who help people cope with hair loss. I can’t thank you enough for your contribution to altering a societal mindset that has to begin with those of us who are dealing with hair loss.
Hey Eddy,
Thanks for the comment. You’re right. A show is indeed scripted and we should be careful to not take too much from it. At the same time, from everything I understand about the show, Larry David is very much like that in real life and a lot of the show is apparently improvised. In any case, you are right to point this out!
Thanks for the kind words. To be honest, a big reason I started the site was that I found it hard to come across this type of content on the internet. I used to read the same sites and forums that talk about stopping hair loss, hair regrowth and various treatment regimens. Once I actually accepted my hair loss, and realized how much my life improved because of that simple fact, I wanted to let people know that there is more than one way to go about this. Your last sentence nails it: “…altering a societal mindset that has to begin with those of us who are dealing with hair loss” Couldn’t have said it better.