Peladophobia refers to the fear of bald people.
Come in, lie down on the couch, and tell us when you first started fearing billiard balls. Could it be that you have peladophobia, the abnormal fear of bald people?
The phobia’s name is drawn from the root word for disorders that cause hair to fall out- pelada. Since 95% of men with hair loss experience hereditary male pattern badness, we are presented with a lot of bald pates to peruse.
But the fear also applies to those who fear to lose their own hair. If you delve deep into the psychological mumbo jumbo, you’ll find references to the bald head representing various things related to fertility, such as eggs. Ergo, to go bald is to lose your manliness.
But women have hair loss problems as well. While vastly rarer in females than males, women do experience temporary hair loss after childbirth, and more permanent thinning of the hair during and after menopause.
It is surmised that most fear of baldness originates in the person’s own psyche, expressing a fear that they will go bald, themselves. The balance of people who are afraid of anyone with a bald head is attributed to abnormal reactions in the individual’s brain, which ties the image of a bald head to other deep-seated and irrational phobias. (see also little-known phobias )
