I had two experiences this week that were rather...unique (then again, considering the situation, maybe not). Mondays are slow at the school, almost deathly so. I had two people on my schedule, a haircut and a wax. Both of them were no-shows, however, so I was puttering around the clinical area doing pretty much nothing (I did read some interesting articles in a couple of "Better Homes and Gardens" though). About 11 AM, I got a walk in client. Well, I was the only one available and they assigned the client to me. So I'm walking up to the front desk, smile on my face as usual. However, the client, upon seeing that I was male, immediately turned to the girl working the desk and said that they wanted a female to cut their hair. And just in case you were wondering, the client in question was male (actually, I referred to him several times as a "card-carrying member of the Mullet Nation"). Susie, who I've mentioned previously, was also at the desk and she let him know in no uncertain terms that I was the only one available (which was the truth, actually). Upon hearing this, he decided that he would make an appointment for the next day to have a female cut his hair. Keep in mind that when entering he stated that he HAD to have his hair cut this very day. I laughed it off (I've had far worse situations in the many long years I was in colorguard and winterguard) and went back to reading about growing award winning petunias (prolly not helping my cause there).
So, Mullet Nation member comes back the next day, right on time for his appointment. As fate would have it, I was working the front desk that day. He barely looked me in the eye when I greeted him. I couldn't help but laugh when he went to the clinical area for his haircut. In another twist of fate, Chrystal was the student assigned to cut his hair (her station is right next to mine). Almost immediately after being seated, he asked Chrystal if I was gay. She couldn't help but laugh as she explained that I was married and had two children, even pointing out the pictures of my family on my station (I have A LOT of pictures of Heather and the kids on my station). After she regained her composure, she asked him how he wanted his hair cut. His response? He wanted his hair cut exactly like mine. Yeah, I laughed too.
So, fast forward to today. A man called earlier in the day and asked for a haircut. Almost as an afterthought, he also booked a manicure. Again, I was the only person available for said services. Now, when clients book appointments, they are not told who is doing the service unless they specifically request a certain person. Up until Monday, I had never had someone request a student of a different gender when they learned I would be cutting their hair. So I was curious to see if history would repeat itself (one of the other students commented on the fact that he requested a manicure, stating, "He probably wants a cute 20 year old rubbing his hands"...hey, it's happened) This client was a business man, very articulate and well dressed. And he had absolutely no problem with me cutting his hair (in fact, I think he would have requested a male if he knew one was available). And the manicure? Went off without a hitch, even with the only spot to do said service was right up front in the client waiting area (we don't have a specific area to do manicures...until we move to the new building that is). In fact, I think he'll request me when he needs another haircut (and manicure too).
All of this got me to thinking about stereotypes and how people are perceived based on their career or hobbies or whatever. Now, typically men who are in the cosmetology field are...effiminate...to put it mildly. And I have been accused of being rather effeminate myself (that's prolly due to the fact that I generally eschew the typical "tough guy" demeanor in favor of a more nuanced, intellectual personality). But to simply refuse a haircut based on the fact that I use the same bathroom as them is beyond my kin. I've had my haircut by both men and women and I've never preferred one over the other (I base my preference more on how my hair looks when they're done than anything else). Still, I know people that prefer a man to cut their hair over a woman and vice versa. I know that I will prolly encounter this situation in the future, many times over, but I hope that by that time, I'll have developed a reputation as a very good barber (actually, without being boastful, I'm almost there...I almost always get rave reviews of my haircuts) and it won't be a problem.
