Among all the adjectives that Luis Rubiales has received in the last month, one of the mildest has been that of caspós. Dandruff is a scalp condition that forms small white flakes like Maldon salt. Its appearance among the strands of hair causes itchiness in the scalp and makes the shoulder pads of those affected (in non-generic masculine, that dandruff mainly affects barons and especially saintly barons). Popular slander has associated snowy shoulders with the unfashionable. The DIEC does not say anything about it, but the DRAE includes the derogatory term “anticuado, desfasado”.
If anything is undeniable, it is that the Rubiales case marks the entry into another phase of the social perception of masculinity. Even the most condescending of the now ex-president of the RFEF have spoken of rudeness and rude attitude on the part of Yul Brynner, Kojak, Mister Proper, Iván de la Peña (here add to the list of Rubiales your bald reference) of Spanish football. But can you have dandruff if you don’t have a single hair on your head? Do bald people have dandruff?
A meticulous research dismantles the presumed oxymoron of the bald head. I can only find one Ecuadorian dermatologist – Patricio Castillo, in Quito – who denies it: “No, people who are bald are completely bald. He’s not going to see fat.” Let’s see, this “no va a ver” already makes you suspect its rigor, because in Nebrijana grammar it should say “no va haber”.
It is worth saying that some other doctors consider that alopecia reduces the risk of dandruff because the scalp dries more easily, but the general consensus is that dandruff is not exclusive to people with hair. Stress can cause seborrheic dermatitis on the (ex)scalp, and both euphoria and depression cause stress. Here, then, is why Rubiales is so cool.
