‘Hair is just hair’: A ‘Bald Meet-up’ fosters a sense of empowerment

‘Hair is just hair’: A ‘Bald Meet-up’ fosters a sense of empowermentSign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inboxAttendees at a “Bald Meet-up” in Washington Square Park in New York, on June 27. PHOTO: DAVE SANDERS/NYTIMESMack LiedermanPublished Jun 29, 2026, 09:50 AMUpdated Jun 29, 2026, 09:50 AMSet as preferred sourceNEW YORK – Many of them spent years fighting it. But on June 27, they came bald and proud of it.

Around 100 bald people, mostly men, but some women, met in Washington Square Park in Manhattan for a unique gathering to take a stand: being bald is nothing to be ashamed of.As rain came down, bald men who usually wear hats said they had left them at home.There was no need to hide themselves here.

“My name is Phil and I’m bald,” Phil Myers, a comedian, said to a crowd that had broken out into cathartic chants of “Bald is beautiful!” and “Bald! Bald!

Bald!”Justin Bradford, a freelance video producer and organiser of the “Bald Meet-up,” sold “I Love New York” T-shirts, the heart replaced by a bald head.“I’m not going to say bald people are looked down upon, but sometimes people think you’re kind of unfortunate,” said Bradford, 31.

“I don’t think that’s the case at all, especially when we’re all together.”Bradford ran a similar meetup in Seattle in June, inspired by an internet-fuelled outpouring of celebrity look-alike contests and other viral gatherings for not-quite affinity groups, including tall people and anyone named Ryan.The events have drawn people off their phones and into places where they could find, at least for an afternoon, a new community.

Attendees cheered “One of us!” as Nina Wall, 25, got her head shaved.“I found this so empowering,” Wall said on June 27.

“Hair is just hair. Appreciate every stage you’re in.”Social media has created jokes about baldness, with accounts monitoring the receding hairlines of famous people.

But the internet has also brought bald people together, including on a popular Reddit page with over 1 million users that supports those shaving their head for the first time, which Bradford called a real “change in your identity”.Male-pattern baldness affects up to half of men by age 50, and studies have shown the condition can lead to low self-esteem, anxiety and depression.Allies showed up on June 27 in bald caps.

“I support bald people,” said Grace Eastwood, 29, who had bought the caps on Amazon for her, a sister and a friend. “For the men in my life, if they go bald, I don’t want them to feel bad.” NYTIMESThis article originally appeared in The New York Times.

More on this topicHow did baldness go from acceptable to alarming?When to worry about hair loss or greying hairSee more onCommunityNew YorkEvents and listingsSocial media