Ladies, as a man I understand the importance of daily aesthetics. I like to stunt when the time presents itself, and I like to keep a certain look that illustrates an inner gateway to my personality. While some of you hit up the nail salons, the unfathomable amount of stores, or get that fresh sew in from your neighbor down the hall, us men, in particular, black men are thinking about one act of self-grooming; a haircut. Yes, we love and stress on everything that deals with our face and head. Because if our cut is on point, then anything and everything follows along in place.
I remember being introduced to the barbershop culture when I was very young. It's an exciting and integral part in every black man's life. The common philosophy "What happens in the shop stays in the shop." is like a unanimous code you abide by. From conversations that range literary from anywhere (Sports, Politics, Women, Jokes, etc.), The barbershop is a cultural hub essential in the growth and development of a black man. But besides this code, let's take a deeper look into the craft itself.
From fade, to tape up, to shape up, the style of the cut you want represents personality without a spoken word. When you're in that chair, come correct. You usually know what you want so you let it be known to your mans cutting. Which leads me to an unspoken tradition, "ONLY GET YOUR HAIRCUT FROM EITHER A TRUSTED SOURCE OR YOUR DAILY BARBER". Just because a chair is open doesn't mean the barber will cut you right. The last thing you need is a differentiated hairline.
As black men, a crooked hairline or messy haircut is satirized in our daily lexicon. In some cases, it might even become extremely joked about. A bad hairline or cut might feel like having one of the worse days in your life. But all in all and jokes aside, we do this better one another. Like it or not, black men have the same path and we try to help each other out. Sure it might come off the wrong way to some people, but in all reality, we're a mirror image of each other. We do our best to not only make sure we look good ourselves, but we stand united.
As summer approaches and the shops fills, just remember that this is all done to make sure we look our best and present ourselves as such. If you ever hear someone complain that they need to head to their barber soon because its been a minute, or it's Friday and I'm trying to get right for the weekend, let it rock. Because as soon as we enter the shop, and leave that chair later on, you leave with a new level of confidence each and every time. Trust me, black men love and cherish the barbershop. After we get our groomed cut, anything is a possbility.
