Belles of the Bald

Ray D’Arcy feels weird. Very weird. “You see, in my head, I still have hair!” he whines, stroking his newly barren scalp. “I’ve only really had a quick glimpse in the mirror so far.”

It’s been mere minutes since the Today FM star got cranially defuzzed for the ‘Shave Or Dye’ campaign, but already he’s feeling rather exposed. “It’ll take a lot of getting used to,” he grins.
There’s an extraordinarily friendly vibe in Dublin’s Style Club today, and not just because passers-by on South William St are being greeted by a scad of bald men and women, conspicuously cheering on the steps of the Powerscourt Shopping Centre. As dozens of participants are stripped of their mops and quiffs right in front of my eyes, I can’t help but recall the countless America’s Next Top Model contestants I watched weep through having four inches hacked off their manes, not to mention the infamous YouTube clip of a bridezilla who lops her own curls off in a frenzy on her wedding day when her hair stylist’s work isn’t up to par. Still, as hunks of hair plummet to the salon floor, there isn’t a wet eye in the house.
“Today’s been loads of fun, it’s really been brilliant,” D’Arcy tells me. “I suppose we shouldn’t have been surprised by the reaction we got because everybody knows somebody who’s been touched by cancer, but we’ve really been blown away by the generosity of people.”
This morning’s shave-a-thon is just one of nearly 700 events happening around the country as part of the campaign, which at the time of writing has raised over €392,000 for cancer research. The Today FM posse are feeling understandably chuffed with themselves now that they possess the Guinness World Record for the most heads shaved in an hour (60 heads were baldified in 60 minutes by one man: John Maguire from Fat Tony’s Barber).
At approximately 11.30am, Ray’s trademark silver hair was buzzed off, starting with the crown, to give him, briefly, what you might call the Larry Davis special. Meanwhile, fellow Today FM-ers Mario Rosenstock and Matt Cooper came away with subtle funky pink do’s – and Tony Fenton is currently rocking a shade of Shamrock green, having been offered €8,000 for the cause by bookmakers Paddy Power to keep the look for a whole month.
The nature of human vanity would suggest that a bare head is a bigger sacrifice for the female of the species but still, dozens of women sacrificed their hair today, including 26-year-old Mary Flanagan, who got rid of a full head of glossy blonde locks.
D’Arcy is quick to point out that hair is a big deal for anyone’s appearance. “For me it is, anyway,” he admits. “I was already thinning and receding quite a lot, so I was desperately holding on to any bit of hair I had left! That’s why we’re so proud of everyone here.”