@ShoppingDad wrote:

Very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very very short hair.

25 character limit (147/25)

hair length - microscopic??

Shoppingdad- We're not supposed to use the word very. Ha! Ha!
My selection in a description question is; Brown, Black, Blonde, White, Gray, Red, No Hair, other.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/17/2019 11:04PM by shopper8.

@1cent wrote:

It’s not political correctness.

It most certainly is. The definition of bald is, "Lacking hair on the head."

"Bald" is not a bad word. It's a description, not a judgment. Put on your big boy pants and grow up.

@iShop123 wrote:

@1cent wrote:

It’s not political correctness.

It most certainly is. The definition of bald is, "Lacking hair on the head."

"Bald" is not a bad word. It's a description, not a judgment. Put on your big boy pants and grow up.

I write descriptions to suit the company receiving the report and do not insert my own preferences. I guess that makes me immature?

I have said the guy looked like Bruce Willis in one of my narratives

Exactly.

@SteveSoCal wrote:

We already have to dance around ethnicity, weight, gender, age, etc.

Do you think bald, fat and sweats a lot would be OK. Or should I just pass on this shop?

Skip all shops and become a merchandiser

@LIJake wrote:

Do you think bald, fat and sweats a lot would be OK. Or should I just pass on this shop?

I'm all for being sensitive about someone's appearance, but really, not using "bald" to describe a bald-headed person is ridiculous. We can't know if they're naturally bald or shave their heads. As others have said, "bald" is not a bad or negative word. It's just a descriptor for not having hair. What's the difference between "no hair" and "bald"? None. I'd use "no hair" if "bald" isn't acceptable, but, really....

Yeah, we need to use whatever term the MSC deigns "appropriate," but this is stupid, imo.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2019 05:14PM by BirdyC.

@BirdyC there are a number of phrases that are technically accurate but not generally acceptable as descriptions for people.

Would you describe someone wearing glasses as 'has bad vision'? No...you just say 'wore glasses' because for all you know, the glasses may just be cosmetic.

Why is it seemingly difficult for some to simply not use a term that others may be offended by without calling it ridiculous or stupid?

Most of my jobs has the drop down box and you choose bald if he is, I never say more about his head style.
My Father was bald, sign of intelligence, don't you know....

Most of my jobs has the drop down box and you choose bald if he is, I never say more about his head style.
My Father was bald, sign of intelligence, don't you know....

.....duplicate

'Bald' is good enough for majestic eagles. Meanwhile, 'bald' should be understood as neutral. It does not imply the shopper's speculation about the reason for the apparent absence of hair on a head. Nothing in the four letters indicates that the shopper suspects cancer; smarts; a costume for the masquerade, the crime, the cinema, or the play; or anything else!

But this is 2019 and gay no longer means happy, and bald no longer means an unexplained apparent hairless pate.

Saying someone wears glasses is the same as saying someone is bald. Saying someone is bald is not the same as saying someone has bad vision. I have NO idea how or why the word "bald" has come to be something negative. It's a neutral descriptor, in my opinion. It never used to have a negative connotation; it was just something that exists. Why would someone be insulted by it?

Is "had no hair" less offensive? Why would somebody not be offended by that term? "Shaved" is subjective and requires the shopper to make a judgement that may or may not be correct. I wouldn't use that term unless I knew for sure that it was the case.

As a professional writer, I'm well tuned into not using offensive language. In fact, there are guides for writers to use so that we avoid terms that may be offensive. The last time I referenced any of those, "bald" was not a forbidden term. But I'll check it, and if it's been added to the list of "insensitive" terms, I'll be suitably apologetic. However, that doesn't mean I'll change my mind about the relative innocence of the term. I have two sons who have disabilities; one of them has significant disabilities that interfere with his daily functioning. Calling someone "a disabled person" is high on the list of terms not to use; we say "a person with a disability" instead. Let me tell you that being bald is a far cry from having real disabilities. So my perspective may be different than others'. But I'd rather be bald than to see my kid suffer with his disabilities or have them myself. And I wouldn't care if I were described as "bald." So, yeah, I still think "bald" is a minor thing for people to be offended about. Just my opinion, of course.

Let's face it, though: No matter what most of us say or do, it's bound to offend somebody, somewhere. So what do we do? Walk and write on eggshells the rest of our lives (barring the obvious terms of insensitivity, of course)?



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 12/19/2019 05:12PM by BirdyC.

I just answer what the MSC provides for me. No hair is fine with me, this is just to identify the person. I never describe a person by their weight, I have always marked average, only if asked. One of my MSC doesn't even want you to do a description if you have their name. Sometimes people make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Connotations for specific words come and go. Often once the new word that is acceptable gets used for a while that too takes on a bad connotation when the actual thing being described still has a bad connotation to some or many. Then it is time to get rid of that descriptor too. Often these words are accepted in one regiion but not another or with one age group but not another. It becomes difficult to keep up with some of the less used ones.
When I was growing up bald had a bad connotation...Why else would there be comb overs and toupees and hair pieces? Then suddenly 20 years or so?? ago bald by way of shaving became an in thing. My dad was bald and I remember young girls my age thinking it was icky and never wanting to date anyone who was bald. At the time I was too young to date but this feeling persisted. So yes, I think a bald head had a bad connotation in the past but no longer. Whether those who have chosen to shave their head would prefer to be called shaved vs bald I do not know. Maybe some shaved head shoppers or friends of theirs out there can chime in.
And don't get me started on how I feel about a comb over!!! Who makes these decisions on which words are ok anyway?

I put this question to my language group, which is comprised of professional writers, editors, proofreaders, authors, and so forth. (Without, of course, revealing why I was asking.) Nobody thus far has ever heard that the term "bald" is insensitive or on any of the lists of politically incorrect or offensive terms. The bald members of the group have no problem being called "bald." Certainly that doesn't mean that there aren't people who might be offended by being described as "bald."

Now, I have greying hair. Should I be offended if I were to be shopped and someone described my hair color as "brown with grey throughout," which might imply that I am "old"? Of course not; why would I be? It's an accurate description. But some people might be offended by being described as having grey hair.

Yup; I think this is a case where a case has been made when there isn't one. If the MSC objects to "bald," we shouldn't use it. But MSCs seem to be all over the place in terms of how to describe employees. Some want their builds (and indeed we should be tactful there); some want age, but stated as "youthful, mature, etc."; some want race; etc. There are enough minefields there that we don't need more.

I used to joke around about the politically correct thing by saying that I saw on the news that they were looking for a suspect. The police gave this description...."We cannot tell you the weight/build, the ethnicity, the race, the age or the sex of the person we are looking for. They have brown hair.and we cannot tell you the height as we might offend someone,. If you see this person please call xxx xxx xxxx".

This is interesting. We use bald, but we do not use balding. When I was trained, I was told that "balding" presumed that the hair loss would continue, which was outside the shopper's purview. Of course, each company has its own standards.

Someone in my language group commented that inferring that "bald" is offensive implies that there is something inherently wrong with being bald. And, of course, there isn't. It's normal and natural, nothing to be ashamed of.

At least six or seven bald guys in that group weighed in, unanimously, that they have no issue at all with the term "bald."

Maybe in people's rush to be politically correct or sensitive, we inadvertently accomplish exactly that which we had hoped to avoid -- stigmatizing an appearance or condition when, in fact, had we not treated it as something to be avoided, it wouldn't be offensive.

@ShoppersViewChristine wrote:

This is interesting. We use bald, but we do not use balding.

I think this may be the key to the potential offense! It may be considered synonymous with balding, which implies the unintentional loss of hair, as opposed to it being a statement.

In all honesty, I'd prefer shaved head. Probably because I grew up in the era @sandyf mentioned where bald had a negative connotation. I consider myself somewhat lucky that glasses and shaved heads are currently in style, so I don't have much of an option for alternate looks. I can't deal with contacts...

@ShoppersViewChristine wrote:

This is interesting. We use bald, but we do not use balding. .

Unless you are George from Seinfeld

Skinhead? That's so stupid. Bald is Bald.

@LIJake wrote:

Unless you are George from Seinfeld

LOL!

Seriously, this is an interesting topic. Whereas some might be offended by it, some are proud of it. Bald is "in" around here. I spoke to an acquaintance last week whose late husband was bald, but who had a fabulous, big handlebar mustache. He was quite an impressive-looking man. Even she referred to him as "bald as a cue ball."

It's difficult to project who will be offended by what terms. I'm old, probably grew up in the era where "bald" might have been considered a bad thing, but not necessarily the term. Just the condition. But in our circle of family and friends, "bald" wasn't considered negative. What was considered negative were the lengths to which men went to hide their lack of hair. Hopefully we've gotten to the point where people accept normal changes as, well, normal and not something to hide.

I usually stick with no hair and the editors haven't said anything. There's a few MSC's out there that differentiate between shaved head and bald. Some MSCs consider shaved head to be a short buzz cut length (shorter than short length/more hair than completely bald) and bald to be absolutely no hair/smooth head.

I was surprised to read that some find the term "bald" offensive. I have never equated it to an insult or derogatory term. Bald is bald, long hair is long hair, cropped hair is short, bald is bald. What is the problem? I agree with Birdy, there is nothing wrong with being bald or the word "bald" as a descriptor. Being politically correct is getting carried away. There are so many more important issues to be concerned about. Sheesh. With that being said, if the MSC doesn't want the term used, don't use it. Easy

You can tell when someone has shaved their head. I don't think anyone in any state of baldness has a completely smooth head (unless they have alopecia, which is a whole other medical condition you don't want to take a guess at). I get 5 o'clock shadow on my head by end of the day, and have to shave a second time if I'm going out for the evening.

I'm perfectly content to accept the changes that occur over time with aging, but I can assure you there is a point when one starts balding and almost all men will be sensitive about it at some point, so it's like greying, or wrinkles, or anything else that's best not to mention. You just never know how some feel about it...

Snorting rum and Coke, LOLOLOL!!!!

@Shop-et-al wrote:

Skip all shops and become a merchandiser

@LIJake wrote:

Do you think bald, fat and sweats a lot would be OK. Or should I just pass on this shop?