Burton Mail

THE BALD AND THE BEAUTIFUL

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THIS week John Travolta finally unveiled his bald head to the world. That the movie legend has lost his hair, will have come as a revelation to few people. It has long been suspected the Saturday Night Fever star is not as hirsute as he often appears on the big screen. However this was the first time we had seen him in all his bald glory.

The 64-year-old showed off his au naturel look in an Instagram post. Pictured alongside his daughter Ella Bleu, wearing a dinner suit and holding a martini glass, the actor made no mention of his new look in the post, merely captioning it: “I hope everyone had a great New Year!”

The response from his million followers was overwhelmi­ngly positive. “Wowza! In a good way” and “Didn’t think it was possible for you to get any hotter!!” are two of my favourites among the more than 5,000 comments, while his feed is awash with heart-eye emojis.

They are some of the best reviews the Battlefiel­d Earth star has had in years.

Whether or not the current look has anything to do with a role remains to be seen. Certainly at his most recent public appearance in midDecembe­r, Travolta was sporting a lush mane of grey hair.

Personally, I think John looks great hairless. I’d take a bald man any day over one wearing a dodgy wig. But really, who are we to tell the man how he should look?

We wouldn’t dream of doing the same to a woman. If a woman’s hair falls out, for whatever reason, it is devastatin­g even if they are lucky enough for it to grow back.

Around 85% of men will have some sort of hair loss in their lifetime, even if they don’t lose it entirely, yet we expect them just to suck it up. Or even worse, make fun of them. How many ‘hair apparent’ headlines has poor Prince William had to endure over the years thanks to the male pattern baldness which stalks the Windsors?

Now it’s Prince Harry’s hairline under scrutiny.

A male friend of mine recently shocked us all when he shaved off what appeared to be a thick mop of dark hair. When I asked him why, he confided he was convinced he was going bald and wanted to take charge of the situation. Turned out he wasn’t really.

I have had the hair loss conversati­on with a few male friends over the years and many find the prospect very upsetting and confidence damaging, particular­ly those whose hair starts to go early.

I am not sure the advent of hair transplant­s does much to ease the situation. They may be more commonplac­e these days but they are expensive and, for it to be convincing, you have to get in there early with the surgery. Look at the grief Wayne Rooney has had over his.

For actors, especially ones who fall into the ‘sex symbol’ category like Travolta, hair loss must be even more difficult.

In films like Saturday Night Fever and Grease, his perfectly combed quiff was almost as crucial to the plot as the dance moves. “Would ya just watch the hair,” said Tony Manero.

Now that everyone is watching the hair, let’s hope that the bald look is the one John wants. New look: John Travolta with Ella Bleu.

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