What to know
- Baldness is trending in dating, with icons like Pitbull and The Rock inspiring confidence.
- Tinder’s survey found 73 per cent of Canadian women have been interested in someone outside their usual “type.”
- Singles at the “Baldies Boat Party” say confidence matters more than hair.
- Many attendees say embracing baldness changes perceptions and boosts self-esteem.
With hot bald icons like Pitbull and The Rock, is baldness having its dating moment?
Mr. Worldwide’s shows have inspired bald caps all around, and some are shaving off their heads for Pitbull’s signature look, officially introducing “Bald Guy Summer,” Tinder’s Resident Relationship Expert, Devyn Simone, told Now Toronto.
Naturally, Tinder connected the cultural moment to the dating scene and found that 73 percent of surveyed single Canadian women say they’ve been interested in someone outside their usual “type.”
So, Tinder decided to host a party where daters can let loose with bald and bald-cap-wearing daters.
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‘I would always swipe right on myself’: Bald cap wearers and bald singles share how pretty they feel without hair
Canada Shore’s cast member Chris tells Now Toronto he feels “sexy” wearing a bald cap.
“I feel sexy. I feel like this is my final form,” he said.
His castmate Lila agreed, saying, “I would always swipe right on myself in every moment possible.”
Toronto dater Okeoghene said he feels pretty all blinged up.
“All the diamonds and stuff. Bald can be sexy and at the same time pretty,” he said.
Beyond the glam, Okeoghene feels that wearing a bald cap makes him feel more true to himself.
“It makes us come true to ourselves, without having hair or looking traditionally good. But we look good, and we’re coming very pure to ourselves,” he explained.
So, Okeoghene said he would absolutely swipe right on himself: bald cap or not.
Toronto dater Rae said she’s previously shaved her head twice and is currently embracing a bald cap.
“If you are thinking about shaving your head, especially as a woman, do it 100 per cent. This is your sign,” she said.
Dating bald wasn’t “as bad” as she thought, either.
“A lot of people were into it, and it kind of changed my perception of how people perceive what is traditionally beautiful and what’s not,” Rae said. “It gave me the confidence to put myself out there, and reflected the confidence that I had to do it.”
A bald Toronto dater, Lucas, said, “Being bald is a power.”
“It draws all the attention to your facial features. There are no distractions,” he said. “Don’t let hair be the reason people aren’t interested in you.”
But Simone says that’s not all that’s attractive about bald people; it’s also about confidence.
“Confidence to be who you are is always sexy. When you like how you show up, and you’re comfortable being yourself, people pick up on that energy. So let that head shine! If it works for you, it’s probably working for somebody else too,” she said.
‘Bald baddies are my favourite’: Toronto singles share whether or not they’d date someone who’s bald
Chris says his main priority is whether a man has money, not hair.
“My type is literally everything. And bald people usually have money, so I love it,” he said.
Chris shares he’s dated several bald men already.
“I love to oil the top of their head. Rub my head, I’ll rub yours,” he said.
His castmate Lila says she’s dated “balding,” but says someone who embraces baldness would be preferable.
“They should just shave that off. Cancel that trip to Turkey. Your hair’s not coming back. Own the look,” she joked.
I would 100 per cent date a bald guy. If you got the face card, you got the face card. Not having hair is never gonna take away from that,” Lila said.
Okeoghene says personality comes first.
“Hair is just a beauty mark, so it depends on the person’s personality. Doesn’t matter if they’re bald or not,” he said.
Rae, having previously been bald, always loves embracing baldness, on her or someone else.
“I love bald people. Just being at the event, I feel very at home, even though I now have hair underneath the bald cap,” she said.
Lucas, who’s bald, says he’d 100 per cent date someone else who’s bald.
“Bald baddies are my favourite,” he said.
Does being bald really matter? A Tinder expert tells all
Simone says baldness doesn’t really matter, as long as the vibe’s there.
“People love to say they have a ‘type,’ but chemistry has a sneaky way of ignoring that long checklist. If the vibe is right, he’s making you laugh, and you feel safe, suddenly, the rules get very flexible,” she said.
With age, dating priorities also change.
“At some point, you realize the number of active follicles on someone’s head tells you almost nothing about whether they’ll make a good partner,” Simone said. “No one gets divorced over hair, shoes or height.”
She says what matters is how you feel with someone, and who you are around them.
That’s why Tinder made the event: to get people outside of the box. Some even committed to the Tinder Scalper Ticketing Booth, shaving their heads before the event.
“So is bald having a dating moment? Maybe! But it might also be a good reminder that what people are attracted to is usually a lot broader than we assume,” Simone said.
