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Journalism of Courage
Hair loss is often tied to shame, anxiety, or desperate attempts to cover it up. But what if, instead of hiding it, one simply chose to embrace it? In a recent interview, Raghu Ram opened up about his own journey with hair fall and why he decided to go bald rather than stress over it.
In an interview with Digital Commentary, he recalled, “Actually mere baal jhad rahe the. Mere paas do option the. Ya toh kisi tareeke se dhakho aur chhupao. Mere ko woh nahi chahiye tha. Baal ja rahe na, udaate hain. Khatam karte hain tanta. Razor use kara aur saaf kar diya (Actually, my hair was falling out. I had two options: either hide it somehow or cover it up. I didn’t want that. If the hair is going, let it go. End the fuss. I used a razor and cleaned it off).”
He even joked about how he first realised the role hair plays in protecting us from the cold, “December tha Dilli mein. Aap agar fridge khuloge aur apna sar freezer mein doge, jo aapko thand lagegi, woh mereko bahar aate hi lagi (It was December in Delhi. If you open the fridge and put your head in the freezer, the cold you would feel, I felt that as soon as I stepped outside).” Raghu added, “Tab mujhe samajh mein aaya ki baal bane hain sardi se bachane ke liye. That was tough (That’s when I realised hair exists to protect you from the cold).”
But for Raghu, going bald wasn’t just about comfort; it was also about confronting stereotypes. He shared in Hindi, “But I’m so happy I made that decision because I don’t think if I had hair, there would have been so much fascination about me. We have certain perceptions… we see fat people as comedians, bald people as villains, and girls wearing less clothes as vamps… It’s a stereotype. I had to break that stereotype. But not like this, if I had stayed, I would have just been the villain anyway. People had never seen a bald guy like this before. Because of me, I even made Rajiv shave his head.”
Counselling psychologist Athul Raj notes, “Hiding hair loss is tiring. Every mirror, every photo, every conversation can feel like a reminder that you’re being judged–or judging yourself. Covering it up feeds stress, self-doubt, and the constant fear of not measuring up. Choosing to embrace baldness, like Raghu did, is freeing. It’s a statement: ‘This is me, take it or leave it.’”
He adds that people who make this shift often feel lighter, more present, and less trapped by how they look. Confidence stops being about hair and starts being about how you carry yourself, what you say, and how you show up. In short, you reclaim the energy you spent hiding and put it into living.
Raj notes that these stereotypes stick because society loves simple visual shortcuts. Bald men in films and ads are often villains, tough guys, or authority figures. Seeing this repeatedly sends a subtle message that baldness equals threat or unlikability.
“For someone losing hair, it can feel like a social stigma added on top of a personal challenge. Self-esteem suffers because you worry about being judged unfairly before you even speak. Public perception can reflect this bias, shaping how people are treated or what’s assumed about them,” states the expert.
Start by noticing the thoughts you tell yourself and challenge the negative ones. Experiment with what feels authentic–short hair, shaved head, or a style you own. Surround yourself with people or communities who accept it. Reframe baldness: it’s hair, not identity.
“Therapy can help if anxiety runs deep. Confidence grows when hair stops defining your worth. Focus on presence, energy, and personality. Slowly, shame fades, and acceptance becomes a choice you make for yourself, not one imposed by society,” concludes Raj.
