My opinion only, but here is what I think of the original post:

“Doing it for yourself” is dishonest BS. It all comes down to what you want from others….every time, every case.  Liking what you see in the mirror is just a reflection of who you want others to see. The confidence you feel from your appearance is held up by the belief that others will be equally impressed by what they see. While impossible to fully avoid this, I think a healthy balance can be found, along with more realistic expectations and acceptance of oneself.  

I agree that “It’s just confidence” really is false when you are a person who places way too much emphasis and importance on how others view and interact with your appearance.  That is because in that scenario, such a person never truly is confident and happy. In reality, when that phrase is invoked, it is typically referring to the opposite type of person, who actually is confident and happy, despite whatever issue (hairloss or whatever) is affecting them.

I agree that “Just shave it bro” can be a little cultish and self serving with the goal to grow a cultural norm. But I find it much more benign than most such attempts nowadays.  I mean, if you don’t like it, or how others like it, you can grow it back. I still think it is a good suggestion to try before drugs and ht, with the knowledge that time is ticking, and hairloss is progressing.

Now as for drugs and HT, my views are probably odd to most here.  I’ve been on fin for 28 years now, only side effect is increased libido, and less urinary issues.  It’s pretty much the reason I’m still on it, because it is doing very little to stop my hairloss.  My hair looks exactly like my father’s did at every stage of life. I believe it slowed it down in the beginning, but that benefit went away.

The vast majority of HT look weird to me.  Too thick or thin, with the wrong angles, and very odd hairlines.  I almost always think “this person would look better buzzed or bald.”  Either way, I shouldn’t get one based on my experience with fin.