A Season-by-Season Tracking of Pete’s Receding Hairline on Mad Men
Mad Men’s Pete Campbell is one of TV’s most compelling jerks right now: He’s horrible and mean and petty and jealous and violent, but he’s also kind of a loser. A villain, sure. But a super villain? Not at all. In addition to being mega-punchable, Pete’s also losing his hair. (Vincent Kartheiser himself is not: The show shaves in Pete’s hairline.) So far, season six has made quite a show of Pete’s increasing scalpiness, so let’s look back through Pete’s entire hair journey.
This is the first moment we see Pete, almost cherubic with his bright eyes and pink lips. This is, of course, as full as we see his hair, though even ...
This is the first moment we see Pete, almost cherubic with his bright eyes and pink lips. This is, of course, as full as we see his hair, though even in this pilot episode, we can see a slight receding at the temples.
See the slight widow's peak? It begins. (Also, Pete wears this blue suit — or at least a blue suit — constantly. These photos weren't cherry-picked fo...
See the slight widow's peak? It begins. (Also, Pete wears this blue suit — or at least a blue suit — constantly. These photos weren't cherry-picked for blue-suitness. Just for hair.)
Pete secretly has long hair! Which we can see when he gets all sulky in his pajamas. Pay special attention to the area where Pete parts his hair, near...
Pete secretly has long hair! Which we can see when he gets all sulky in his pajamas. Pay special attention to the area where Pete parts his hair, near his right temple. We're going to be seeing a lot more of it.
Trudy, you should have kicked this balding asshole to the curb years ago!
More temple. More blue suit. Maybe Pete is actually the most consistent character on the show.
More blue suit. Now with more left temple too.
So far, only slight changes. Pete's forelock is more pronounced, as is his terrible jerkishness.
Drink that julep and get ready to dance!
See? The hair around the right temple is really starting to thin out. (Also, Pete himself looks much thinner in season three than in season one.)
Pete stopped pulling his hair straight back, and this slightly softer, more round hairdo suits him. (As does the club collar on the shirt on the right.)
It seems like Pete's balding has slowed to a halt. He still has plenty of time to be panicky, though.
Actually ... maybe the balding has not stopped. Also, all of Pete's ties up until now have been in the same color family.
Pete's forehead is increasing, and his taste in jackets is, uh, expanding.
A lot of things happen on trains on Mad Men. Especially to Pete.
Yikes!
Good-bye, cruel hair.
That's a lot of scalp, Pete.
Photo: Michael Yarish/AMC