dear straight women hairdressers
OK, this might be a little buyer’s remorse, and will certainly seem sexist to some of you, and
But why the hell can’t women hairdressers1 style men’s hair?
Hi, I like my hair left a little long. I like the way the front bangs kind of curl to frame my face. I’ve brought in some photographs of what my haircut looked like before I grew it out for 4 months. Can you do that?
If a picture’s worth a thousand words, then you must need a dissertation to get across to a stylist what you like.
Ultimately, this was my fault. I should have better described what I wanted. Next time, I will explicitly use the word layered. I will explicitly say “I do not want every hair the same length”. However, when I walk into (what looks like) a real salon and pay real salon prices, I expect a little more attention, and not the beauty school standard “oh wow, a man came in!” cut.
Did I mention I brought pictures?
Pictures
The worst part is having my glasses off for the whole time. I have no idea what’s being done to my hair until the end.
Why, on the whole, can’t women cut and style men’s hair properly? Are you a competent woman hair dresser who’s considering whether or not she should be offended by this? Can you tell me what’s wrong with your peers? Or, 37 Signals style, can you tell me why this is my fault?
In the end it’s a small thing, hair grows back. However, unlike other stupid purchases, I’m stuck looking at this one for the next month. (unless the old “one week” rule applies).
1. The straight is somewhat redundant when referring to women hairdressers, isn’t is?2
2. Apologies to all the lesbian and switch-hitters out there for these blanket statements…but if you work in the hair business you know exactly what (and who!) I’m talking about.
Originally Posted December 21, 2005