Bald blokes have urged men to embrace their chrome domes as the hairless looks becomes more popular. BALDFEST saw guys across the country link-up with their egghead brothers to celebrate bald confidence and flip the script on the narrative around hair loss.
The festival – held in Soho, London on May 14 – saw countless follically-challenged folk open up about their experience with losing their locks.
The event – hosted by BLD BRO with help of Siren Craft Brew – offered eggheads a free pint, while anyone brave enough to have their crown shaved earnt themselves an inaugural free drink.
Harry James, 35, who decided to go bald at 26, urged men who are thinking about making the cut to look around at the hairless fellas in their lives for inspiration.
He said: “Chances are there are a lot of good men in your life—in the office, in the university campus, wherever—who have been able to embrace it and you don’t have to look far to find some inspiration.
“It’s not all doom and gloom there’s a life of freedom on the other side of all that worry.
“[Worrying about your hair is] Really controlling. It can get very down in the dumps. Constantly worrying about it, constantly playing around with your hair, looking at photos.
“Because the biggest problem with losing your hair is the fear of going bald. When you face it and you actually know what it’s like, all of that disappears. So massively liberating.”
Harry – founder of the online series Bald Cafe which aims to remove the stigma around losing your hair – said the choice to go bald “isn’t giving up – it’s levelling up.”
Joe McDonnell, who was DJing at the event, also told blokes “bald is better than balding.” Joe, 27, who decided to make the cut at 23, urged guys who were worried about hair loss to take control. He said: “When you’re bald, it’s a choice you’ve made, right? When you’re balding, you have no control over it.”
Tariq Kazemi, 41, co-founder of BLD BRO and the brains behind BALDFEST – said: “That journey of hair loss can be difficult, but the destination—being bald—is pretty sweet.”
In a supportive message to guys thinking about going under the razor, Tariq said: “Bald men are very happy being bald. And I think for the young guys who might be losing their hair, if they realize that, then they’ll fear the journey much less.”
Jason Statham and Patrick Stewart were among the stars named by revellers as their favourite bald icons.
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