Barber Shop

The Barber Shop

Certain places that people visit can unconsciously affect one’s life without them ever acknowledging the strong influence upon their lives. There are places that can educate, corrupt, or provide both for the minds of people. Churches can provide strong religious influence. One’s home can also influence the personality and behavior of that individual. As for myself, I was educated by the public school system, but learned a lot about life inside a nearby neighborhood barber shop.
The barber shop is a place of business. It provides a service for customers to have their hair cut, styled, or groomed. Customers enter the shop, take a seat, and wait for an available barber to style or groom their hair as requested. Over the years, I’ve seen several different urban hair fashion trends. Hair styles like the jerry curl, box, and the shag were all popular hair styles in the late 1980’s. From 1990’s to today, hair cuts like the darkies, fades, and braids remain popular urban hair styles. There are times when I see older men, like “Old man Jim,” still living in the past with old hair styles. He wears his hair with jerry curl grease! Young guys, such as myself, laugh at old men with old hair styles in the barber shop. In other words, a man’s haircut is a reflection of his personality.
The barbers usually set the mood of a barber shop. There are funny barbers, like Roscoe, a sarcastic, obese guy who loves food and laughs. He always has something hilarious to say that keeps everyone in a good mood. Serious guys, like Tony, a man who thinks everything is a conspiracy, always question society, mankind, or religion. For example, Tony didn’t bathe or groom himself for over a month! He believed that a man’s natural odor, in due time, would become irresistible to women and intimidating to other men. Roscoe and Benji teased him everyday until he took a shower. Barbers like Benji, a guy who looks at everything logically, will argue against anything that doesn’t make...