Bald Is Beautiful, Says Roper Study

Bald Is Beautiful, Says Roper Study

NEW YORK, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- A recent Roper study reveals that bald is beautiful and women are loving it, with a considerable proportion of women willing to encourage their men to get out the razor.

Today, sports figures, television and movie stars alike have adopted the shaved-head, also known as the "Kojak" look, and now it would seem that a sizable number of women want their guys "Kojak-ed." And the guys are all for it.

"Kojak," which is derived from the classic 1970s cop drama starring bald-headed Telly Savalas as New York police lieutenant Theo Kojak, has been updated and will star another bald-headed actor, Ving Rhames, in the title role of the USA Network original drama series premiering Friday, March 25.

So don't be surprised if after March 25 at barbershops all over the country, a new instruction is heard: "I want to get 'Kojak-ed.'"

In an online survey conducted by NOP World's Roper Public Affairs, several hair-raising findings were reported:

* Shaved heads have gained in popularity over the past few years

Overwhelmingly, people agree that you see more men with shaved heads today than you did ten years ago (86%). In fact, 5% of men say they themselves had a shaved head five years ago; today that number has doubled to 10%.

* Shaved heads are seen as "cool" and "sexy"

Asked to choose which words best describe how they think a shaved head looks, almost three in ten people (27%) say "cool." Following closely, 26% think a shaved head is "neat." One quarter of Americans think a shaved head is "sexy" looking (24%), and one fifth call it "stylish" (20%).

Young women (ages 18-34) are particularly likely to find shaved heads attractive with 36% calling them sexy and 32% saying they are very cool.

Three-quarters of women say that most women find men with shaved heads sexy. In fact, women strongly prefer a shaved head to a balding one or one that tries to hide behind artificial hair. Eight in ten say they would rather "rub a shaved head than run their fingers through a toupee or hair piece." Further, balding men should take note: most people feel that men who are balding should shave their heads rather than go for the "comb over" look.

* Men with shaved heads are admired for being confident and masculine; they are not seen as weak, old-fashioned or arrogant

Men with shaved heads are perceived as being confident by a majority of Americans (52%), who name this as the characteristic they most associate with men who sport this hairstyle. Just under half of Americans (45%) say that the characteristic they most associate with shaved-headed men is masculine. Three in ten think of these men as daring (30%) and one-quarter associate being powerful (25%) with having a shaved head.

In contrast, weak, old-fashioned, and arrogant are the attributes least likely to be associated with shaved heads. Over half (52%) say weak is the characteristic out of fourteen that they least associate with men with shaved heads, followed by old-fashioned (43%) and arrogant (31%).

Women are more likely than men in the same age group to consider shaved-headed men to be confident, masculine and daring.

* The original Kojak is the most famous bald character.

When people think of a man with a shaved head, either a real person or a made up character, the most famous TV personality that comes to mind is Telly Savalas, or the original Kojak, named by one-third of Americans (32%). "Mr. Clean" comes in a distant second, named by 8%.

Not surprisingly, older men and women mention Telly Savalas/Kojak more: 40% of 35-44 year olds and 53% of 45-54 year olds mention Kojak.

The findings are from an online survey of 1,503 adults, aged 18-54 conducted by NOP World's Roper Public Affairs team using NOP World's proprietary Web-based survey technology. The interviewing period was from January 13-25, 2005. Each interview took approximately 12 minutes, on average, to self-administer.

The new, USA Network "Kojak" series is based on the Emmy-winning Universal Television police drama which aired on CBS from 1973 to 1978, setting a new standard for realism in its canny depiction of a New York cop with a passion for justice matched only by his frustration with an imperfect legal system. Telly Savalas created an instant television classic with his portrayal of the no-nonsense, lollipop-loving detective. Rhames puts his own fresh stamp on this iconic character, bringing Kojak's grit, strength and soul to today's mean streets.

"Kojak," also starring Chazz Palminteri and Roselyn Sanchez, is executive produced by Rhames and Tom Thayer (A&E's "The Great Gatsby").

USA Network is cable television's leading provider of original series and feature movies, sports events, off-net television shows, and blockbuster theatrical films. USA Network is seen in over 88 million U.S. homes. The USA Network Web site is located at http://www.usanetwork.com/. USA Network is a program service of NBC Universal Cable a division of NBC Universal, one of the world's leading media and entertainment companies in the development, production, and marketing of entertainment, news, and information to a global audience.

Source: USA Network

CONTACT: Kim Reed, USA Network, +1-818-777-6682, kim.reed@nbcuni.com

Web site: http://www.usanetwork.com/

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