In the Bible, there is a story of a man named Samson. He was what the Israelites called a Nazarite. As part of the Nazarite vow, he was forbidden to cut his hair. God blessed this dedication to Him by giving Samson superhuman strength. Until one day, he was seduced by a woman named Delilah. (Go figure.)
She eventually tricked him into telling her the secret to his strength and while he slept, she cut off all his hair. When Samson awoke, he was no stronger than the average Joe and was arrested. Later his eyes were gouged out and soldiers made fun of him for sport.
God gave him his strength one more time before he died and he literally pulled down the house on top of everyone, getting his revenge. So, we know from way back that losing your hair is a traumatic event for some. Below are some of the ways people of today, celebrities included, lose their strength when they lose their hair.
Lost Confidence In Others Perception of Them
One of the things that help us define ourselves, whether we want to admit it or not, is how we think others perceive us. As a celebrity, the perception your audience has of you is what writes your paycheck.
The majority of us grow into a head full of hair as young children and as we grow up, people get used to how we look. It’s what singles us out in their mind. For example, if the name Sylvester Stallone is mentioned, we bet a beautiful blond is not the first image in your mind. Is it?
When we begin to think those who know us notice our hair loss, we tend to assume that they come to the conclusion less hair means less us. It’s simply not true, but some struggle nonetheless. It’s such a big deal to some that they invest in things like hair transplants and toupees to combat the issue.
Low Self-Esteem
When was the last time you looked in the mirror and said, “Hey! You know what? I like you.”? Have you ever done it? Our self-esteem is how we feel about ourselves. It’s whether or not we think we are worth the dirt we’re made of. Having good self-esteem is essential to conquering life.
On the other end of things, we see drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide. There are several events in life where the strength of our self-esteem, alone, determines the outcome. When men and women, celebrities and average Joes alike, suffer from hair loss, the image they see in the mirror is different.
Sometimes it’s different enough to bring them down to a level of worth that is not measurable. The majority find a way to deal with it, but up to 75% of balding men and even more of balding women find it to be rain on their parade, at the very least.
Issues With Anxiety
Do you remember ever being the new kid in school? How about meeting your colleagues for the first time? Has anyone ever experience being uncomfortable dressing out for gym? We probably managed to get everyone reading to raise their hand.
Anxious moments are a part of life. Most of them are necessary and help us grow into mature adults and most of us deal well with them. However, there are a few things that can cause issues with anxiety that are much harder than usual to overcome. Hair loss can be one of them. Anxiety, itself, can actually cause hair loss.
That said, after experiencing alopecia for an extended time, some people can actually develop trichotillomania. This anxiety driven disorder causes patients to twist and pull their hair out by the root as a means of coping with the stress. So, in fact, it exacerbates the problem.
Hair loss is not a picky menace. It affects some in every group. Take the time to educate yourself and use the information above to raise your level of understanding. You or someone you love could depend on you someday for an added boost of confidence.
