Women, rightly or wrongly, are often seen as the sex that puts more emphasis on how they look. However, a new survey by Gethair.co.uk makes clear that women also put a big emphasis on what their current or prospective partners look like too.
The survey asked over 2,000 women between the ages of 25 and 40 what their thoughts were on male baldness and male hair loss. The results show that women far prefer men who have a full head of hair over those who do not. While results vary according to location – with London women the biggest lovers of luscious locks for men – there is a clear theme throughout that men who are bald are less attractive to women.
It is perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that only a third of women in the UK have dated a bald man – given their predilection for men with hair. Yet, as single women complain that they cannot find the right man, could it be that their predetermined ideal guy is setting them for up for failure?
Shar Fuller, the founder of matchmaker platform Mai Tai believes that women should be far more flexible in what they may want in a guy. Her thoughts seem to do away with adage that ‘only the very best will do’. However, while on the surface she tells women they need to have ‘modest expectations’, what she is advocating is actually very logical. She says that ‘lofty ideals have the power to wreck your future love life, so focus on more important attributes instead’. In short, if you set someone an impossibly high target to meet, they will never be able to reach it. Besides, there are plenty of other attributes that are important when seeking a partner.
She does, though, admit that ‘physical attraction isn’t something you can leave out of the love equation’ – and thereby some women who can’t get past the physical looks of a guy may find themselves in a quandary. Many women may well understand that having an ideal man in their mind may be making their love life very hard work. Yet, physical attraction is not something that can be forced. It is a reflexive, instinctive thing.
The survey highlights this fact. A quarter of all women think that hair is key to a man’s attractiveness. As the founder of Gethair.co.uk Kaan Aksoy puts it, ‘it’s clear from these results that women do place an importance on men having a good set of hair’. So while women can be known to spend a lot of time on their own appearance, it is now plain to see that they put the same amount of emphasis on a potential lover’s appearance too. Kaan goes on to say that, ‘the majority of our customers get hair transplants for their own self-esteem, not because they are trying to please others… ultimately, men need to feel good about themselves and not worry about what others think.’