An Open Letter To Hairdressers
Dear Hairdresser, I can’t hear you when you are blow-drying my ear, and I’m tired of faking it!
Last week, after waiting for a year, I cut my hair. I only cut it once a year, short, and let it regrow until it’s time again to trim.
Nothing crazy about that, but it means I’m not someone you’ll find at the hairdresser often. I can’t remember my hairdresser’s name from one year to the next, and I don’t really care which one of them cut my hair. They’re all pros.
I don’t like going for two reasons: first, I’ve never walked out of the hairdresser fully satisfied with the result, and last week was no exception.
Second: the small talk. Socializing is fine. It is polite to ask how they are doing, and have a basic conversation about the weather. After that, I should be off the hook, and it should be okay to let them work in peace.
I have to admit that for once, the conversation was interesting. We talked about Emily In Paris, which I have nothing positive to say about (read my article about season 2).
Then, we talked about culture. The prominence of it in Europe, and the different kind in the United States. We shared the same feeling that the US is not culturally poor, but different from older Western countries. You can’t expect a baby country to have Roman Empire’s ruins — which we have in France, Paris included.
It was great… and then she took the hairdryer out.
She turned it on, started working on my hair, and kept on talking. Said what? I have no clue, it’s a mystery! There’s a freaking blow dryer next to my ear, and I can only ask about 3 times to repeat before it gets annoying.
So I said yes and mumbled something. Oh, and she answered! To what? Who knows, since I said nothing.
I admire her capacity to fuel her own conversation. It takes a true professional to keep going. It sounds ironic, but it’s not. I can’t talk and write at the same time, I can’t imagine taking care of someone’s hair while having a full conversation.
Hairdressers of the world, we thank you for taking care of us and trying so hard to talk to us. But please, give yourself a break during the blowout. Or skip it altogether.
I wish I had.
I’d like to give a shoutout to Quincy de Vries for recommending podcasts to listen to (maybe even at the hairdresser!).
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