By contributor Sean Carey

What a difference a year can make. For example, in the life of Wayne Rooney. In 2010 there was endless speculation about whether he would be leaving Manchester United and sign for Real Madrid (a new contract ensured that he didn’t). This year the headlines are all about his new hair transplant.

The 25-year-old Liverpool-born England striker has been losing the hair on his head for some time. In 2009, it was reported that he was taking the drug finasteride, produced by U.S. company, Merck, and sold under the brand name Propecia. It blocks the conversion of testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and helps to prevent further hair loss. It even promotes hair re-growth in some people.

Evidently, in Rooney’s case the pills didn’t work. So he took more drastic action: a hair transplant operation.

According to press reports, Rooney spent around £30,000 on the operation in a clinic in London’s Harley Street. That’s a significant amount for most people but very small change for the soccer superstar, who is reputed to be on £200,000 a week.

The operation involved taking hair follicles from the back of his head and transplanting them to the top and front. The results certainly look impressive – at least so far. According to his own account on Twitter, Rooney is as pleased as punch: “The new hair is coming on people” announced to his followers on Thursday. “Swelling gone down #hairwego.”

However, the even more interesting aspect of the story is the ostentatious public declaration. It appears that the embarrassment attached to hair replacement at least amongst some segments of the U.K.’s male population has disappeared. Simply put, a hair transplant is no longer a source of shame. Instead it provides an opportunity to communicate and celebrate with members of an abstract, diffuse peer group using diverse global social media platforms.
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