Baldness Makes Guardian's List of ‘Lame Excuses for Bad Behaviour’

Bad behaviour everyone is guilty of it at some point but sometimes it seems celebrities have more 'creative' excuses than most of us to explain why they have broken the law or made poor life choices. The Guardian's list of ‘lame excuses for bad behaviour’ takes a look at just some of the defences proffered by celebrities including Winona Ryder, footballer Luis Suarez and MP Mark Oaten.

“I was going bald”

By far our favourite excuse for poorly-judged behaviour comes from former Lib Dem MP Mark Oaten, pictured right. As we know, baldness can affect self-esteem, and many men and women struggle to cope with the emotional effects of hair loss, experiencing self-confidence issues. But is baldness really a viable excuse for bad behaviour? Mr Oaten thinks so.

According to his article in The Sunday Times (published in 2006), his long-term relationship with a male prostitute was 'part of a midlife crisis' brought on by his hair loss. For Oaten, his male pattern baldness symbolised the end of his youth, triggering a quest to recapture that youth, and ultimately leading to him cheating on his wife. Possibly plausible, but hardly acceptable.

Acting the part

Other questionable excuses for misdemeanours included Winona Ryder's claim 'I was acting,' when she was arrested for shoplifting in 2001. Ryder claimed she was getting in character for a role as a kleptomaniac, and wanted to experience shoplifting for herself.

Falling for it

A memorable defence came from footballer Luis Suarez, who bit another player during the 2014 World Cup in Italy. Suarez declared “I fell over”: he just happened to fall on Giorgio Chiellini, his face hitting the player with his 'prominent teeth'. However, FIFA thought this somewhat unlikely.

There's no excuse

However these celebrities may excuse their bad behaviour, baldness need not cause low confidence and drive negative actions. If Mark Oaten was really concerned about his receding hairline, he could have undertaken treatment to help address his insecurity, without placing his personal life under further strain.

If you're worried about thinning hair or hair loss, don't fall into the excuses trap make an appointment with an expert as soon as possible, so that a bespoke hair loss treatment plan can be put in place to help restore your hair and your confidence.