Men’s baldness stigma: A mixed methods international survey

Abstract

Men’s baldness can be structurally stigmatized. For example, commercialized psychology research medicalizes it as a distressing “disease.” A mixed-methods survey on baldness stigma among 357 balding men (49% from Central- and South- America, Africa, Asia) was conducted. Qualitative and quantitative responses were content analyzed into two approximate sets: those (1) impacted by baldness stigma versus (2) those resisting baldness stigma. (1) The former included about half who had internalized baldness stigma agreeing it was disadvantageous (44%) and reporting distress (39–45% e.g. “ [I] dread the future”). Participants reported baldness was stigmatized structurally (68%; e.g. “ [it’s a] humiliating image”) and were attempting to combat their baldness largely via “treatments” (57%). (2) The latter participant response set resisted baldness stigma by reporting minimal distress, and structural stigma whilst accepting baldness (33–61%). Psychosocial and evidence-based support is needed to help some men resist baldness stigmatization.