Masculinity, Modernity, and Male Baldness, 1880-1939
October 2021
in “
Gender & history
”
TLDR Baldness challenged men's self-image and masculinity in Britain from the late 19th to early 20th centuries, leading to a market for hair loss treatments.
This article explores how male baldness in late 19th- and early 20th-century Britain highlighted the precariousness and vanity of masculinity. Baldness affected men's self-image, making them targets of jokes, signaling aging, and potentially reducing their attractiveness to women. This led to a market for baldness cures and preventatives, reflecting both superstitions and the social-cultural context of the time, including Hollywood glamour, fitness culture, male-grooming advertisements, and the decline of hat-wearing. Men's reactions to baldness varied widely, influenced by personality and circumstances, underscoring the inconsistent and personal nature of masculinity.
