We have so many puns about receding hairline and baldness. In Bisaya there's "Joe" for dyotay buhok, and in Ilonggo, "Arabo" for ara buhok. "NPA" stands for nawong puro agtang. "KMU" is short for Kaming Mga Upaw. "TH" means taas hilam-usan. During group picture-taking we chide them about the flash bouncing off their heads, or tease them for casting a glare "suhaw kaayo bay!" While we make fun of them, there seems to be no disrespect intended, hard to believe.
Fortunately most Filipino men take these ribbing in stride, and can even counter with equally witty ripostes. I have yet to hear or read about anybody stabbing or shooting someone for being called "upaw." My father, for example, likes to tell everyone that he used to have a full head of hair until he married my mother. She gained the upper-hand when she found the single surviving photo of their wedding then showed it around to prove he was already an NPA at the young age of 30. His own brothers and sisters call him "Napoleon" instead as a gentle aside to his 5'5" frame as well. But boy does he love it when I flatter him that he looks like Sean Connery, he has been maintaining the same coif of Agent 007 from Dr. No until now.
The original James Bond is undeniably still one of the sexiest men in Hollywood until now, wig or no wig. Like our own Eddie Garcia, audiences don't wince at him being paired with a love interest young enough to be his daughter of granddaughter. Older generations have Fred Astaire or Yul Brynner and the present ones can take Kevin Costner, Michael Jordan or even the once shorn Richard Gomez as fine specimens of masculinity. These are men of substance, considerable talent and charisma.
So why is there a proliferation of hair tonics, treatments and transplants? Obviously, it is not only women who are vain about their crowning glory, but men as well. Losing one's hair must be a serious cause for concern if a man of substance, talent and charisma like Teddy Boy Locsin would devote his entire article about it in the book "Writings on Midlife" compiled by Lorna Kalaw Tirol. The publisher of Today and former speech-writer of Cory Aquino recalled how he attended the cabinet meetings with his hair parted in different places "to stimulate hair growth" as his hairdresser suggested. Only Cory knew what he was up to when she picked up the scent of the aloe vera he rubbed on his hair roots.
Does a full head of hair have anything to do with attracting members of the opposite sex? This is no different from the misconception that men are attracted to make-up. Different kinds of men love different kinds of women, and vice versa, no make-up or heavy make-up, hair or no hair. Some men look sexy when their face is "revealed" without any hair getting in the way, others look better when their face is framed with sideburns, a few appear manly in pony tails, still others look distinguished with a salt and pepper mane.
Does hair or baldness really affect how women look at men? Take this interview report by the Internet magazine "Hair Today" on the views of a 22-year old engineer named Nathalie:
"Baldness doesn't represent sexiness, she said, adding she doesn't see the bald head as a phallic symbol, as some women do. Nathalie said that to her, bald men do not represent a father figure or someone generally held in high esteem. 'I think if I had this kind of image, really, I wouldn't be attracted by it.' To Nathalie, baldness doesn't necessarily represent experience or seasoning, though she said she, too, has dated older men … 'Age is not a big factor. The individual makes the difference.'
"The aspect she finds most appealing in men is the spark that initially passes between her and a prospective friend. She describes 'spark' as the flow of energy between the two, especially between their eyes. Gracefulness is another big attraction, she said, 'the way he moves, walks, dances - and maybe his voice, too.' Physical aspects, tall, short, bald or fully plumed are not big factors on Nathalie's list of important male attributes, as long as that flash of energy is there."
Gentlemen, take heart, there are a lot of Filipinas out there, women like Nathalie who go for substance rather than mere packaging.