Cowbells and Chocolate

The word barber is derived from Latin and means “beard”. There was a time when barbers were not only expected to shave and cut hair. They were also expected to do healing, medical procedures like bloodletting, extracting teeth and leeching among other things. Barbershops usually have a pole with red, blue and white helix stripes. Because barbers were very often surgeons, some think the colors represent arterial blood, venous blood and bandage. Nowadays the barber’s pole designates a place where men can get a haircut and a shave. Hopefully without spilling any blood. Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone being shaved at the barber’s except in films. Currently barbershops are mainly a place for men to get a haircut.

Men’s Hair Problems

Some men don’t have to go to the barber’s because of lack of hair. In school, Ben had a teacher who obviously had a problem with his balding head. The teacher would spend a considerable amount of time grooming and positioning his hair. It would go over and around his bald head to give the impression of a full head of hair. All was good until one windy, rainy day when he was outside with his class. Needless to say the wind rearranged his hairdo leaving his bald head completely exposed. The rain plastered the long, hanging strands of hair to one side of his face and his shoulders. Ben thought that looked ridiculous.

The men on Ben’s maternal side of the family were pretty much all bald. So it was no surprise to him when his hairline started receding. In his twenties it started thinning and in his thirties it was at the point of no return. Remembering his teacher, he never tried to deceive himself or others.

Barbershops Today

There is a song in Bernese by Mani Matter that’s about being at a barbershop. It has to do with the mirrors there. The song tells of looking into the mirror and seeing himself in the mirror behind him. They reflected so many times back and forth that he saw himself 100 times over. He was so surprised that he opened his mouth which made it look like a choir of men singing. Then, being frightened he runs out of the shop without getting his hair cut. At the end of the song he asks for the listener’s sympathy and apologizes if his hair is somewhat ragged.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x35i8x5

Not only are there a lot of mirrors in barbershops but the chairs are special, too. Before a customer would sit down, the barber flipped the seat so it wouldn’t be warm from the last customer. As far as talk goes, it was almost like a gossip corner for men. The barber or waiting customers would also tell jokes they wouldn’t when women were around.

What Ben found especially amusing was when his barber finished cutting. He would take a second mirror to show him how the back of his head looked. He would quickly move it back and forth from one ear to the other. Avoiding the ever growing balding area in the back. His standard comment was “It covers nicely, yes, it covers nicely.” Meaning: you can’t really see that you are balding, particularly because I’m moving the mirror so fast.

After awhile Ben decided it was no longer worthwhile to go to a barbershop to cut a few strands of hair. I took over the job; me and an electric hair trimmer.

Unisex Beauty Shops

Barbershops are now pretty much a thing of the past. Although you can still find one here and there, most beauty shops now are unisex. Men can get trendy styles, perms or color their hair just like women do.

I prefer walk-ins shops because when I decide to get my hair cut, I want it done immediately. I’ve found a good shop where I usually go. Because it’s a walk-in you rarely have the same hairstylist every time. That’s why I’ve taken to bringing pictures of the cut I want. Which works well for me.

Once I accidently left my pictures there after my cut. When I got home Ben said he would pick them up for me, he had to go into town anyway. I had cut Ben’s hair maybe two days earlier so it was very short. As he walked into the beauty shop the lady behind the counter asked him in all seriousness if he was there to have his hair cut. Ben was dumbfounded. Not something he had been asked in many, many years. Later he said he should have answered “Yes, cut and maybe a perm would be nice”, just to see her reaction. But no use embarrassing the woman. After all, he did walk into a beauty shop and that’s where they cut hair for both men and women. But a simple “How may I help you?” might have been more appropriate.