What does it actually mean to "look like a man"? When will the outdated concept of long hair equals girl, short hair equals guy disappear from this planet? Do you think that Matsumoto Jun ever had anyone tell him that if he did not cut his hair he would not be able to get married? Or has anybody on this planet ever had the nerve to tell Johnny Depp that he wouldn’t be able to find a partner with his long hair? Strangely, it seems as if the length of our hair is always giving us something new to worry about. Until when do we have to be asked why we don't grow out our hair?
Why must the hairdresser, who I’ve met for the first time in my life, be so concerned with my hair length and how I choose to cut it? Being a woman with short hair has its own set of challenges, that only we know.
In order to find a solution to our shared struggle, we carried out a survey targeting short haired women. 545 people replied, 94.3% of which said they felt uncomfortable going to a hair salon. This number alone reveals a lot about the seriousness of the problem.
We asked the reasons for our respondents’ discomfort and here are some of the answers we received.
Moreso than the psychological discomfort of paying more for a woman’s haircut, which is typically priced more than a man’s at salons, the biggest problem is the burden of the pink tax. This burden, both personal and financial, begs the question, how much must we tolerate?
Another issue, ranked number 2 in our list, is hair stylists who try to push “feminine” haircuts on unwilling customers. Whether it’s forcing a cut with a cuter feel or refusing to cut as much as the the customer asked for, stylists at times go beyond simple recommendations and make customers feel uncomfortable. To describe this part in more detail, we’ll soon share some of the comments our respondents received from their stylists.
We’ll take a look at the types of responses we received for people who indicated “Other” in our survey but for now, let’s take a look at number 4. Being treated like someone who has just been dumped and looking to shave it all off, must I really weep and sob for a shave? Is the only believable situation in which a woman would want to shave her head one in which she has just been dumped by the love of her life and going through some kind of mid-life crisis?
Below are some of the responses we receive from our survey participants who wrote “other” on our survey. Let’s take a look:
< Respondents’ Personal Experiences >
-After asking for a shorter cut, I was told that women aren’t supposed to cut their hair this short, that I’d look like a man, etc. and finally, was told to leave.
-After I gave my card to pay and answered back to the stylist when confirming the price, they heard my voice and said “Ah, you’re a woman? Then I am afraid it will be a little more.” But my hair had already been cut.
- “Your hair is already fine now, what more can I cut off?” “I don’t really think a short cut would suit you though...” “Usually when men get a two-block haircut, it’s cut a little more obviously, but for women, we style it with bangs to make it more natural, would you really prefer it the manly way?” (Is there a difference between men and women’s hair?) “Just get a bob!” “Wow, you’re so brave!” (For getting a short cut.)
- After claiming that the style I wanted was too manly, they tried to convince me to go for another style. Then after I insisted, they told me that my boyfriend wouldn’t like it... A boyfriend that, by that way, doesn’t exist and they don’t need to worry about.
- After styling and cutting, they dried my hair to make it cuter. But I never asked to be cute?
- “How about a feminine short cut? Men don’t really like women with that kind of short hair.” After I asked for a undercut, they insisted that they could style my hair more girly so match with dresses. (not exactly sure what their definition of “feminine” or “girly” is) Afterwards, they continued to call me “girl crush.”
- While a male stylist was cutting my hair, he remarked on what a shame it was and if I would’t consider one more time to grow it out. I had requested a two-block haircut. Afterwards, he had the nerve to ask if I was gay.
- I asked for a undercut and requested a 6mm shave. The stylist responded with “That seems a bit too short for a woman,” “Men don’t really like that kind of style,” “Are you trying to get some kind of celebrity pixie cut look?”
- They asked me about 6 times if I was serious.
- After getting my haircut at the same length as a male customer, I was charged the medium length price for a color and cut. They insisted that women are, without exception, charged at medium price and I had to pay 40,000 won (40 dollars) more along with hair dye price.
- If I go to the hair salon, the types of things I usually hear when I get my hair cut is “Women don’t usually go for this type of style” or “You’d look so pretty with your hair grown out.”
- I got asked if my dream was to be an athlete or if the reason I’m cutting my hair short is because I want to be a man.
While these kinds of situations and comments are not uncommon, there have been times where people have even been unable to cut their hair. At times like this, I want to scream “GIVE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO CUT THEIR HAIR HOWEVER THEY WANT!!”
Now that we’ve discussed the problem, let’s talk about some solutions. We asked our respondents to give us the names of a few salons that were welcoming to their requests Below are some of the salons that they mentioned
This list was compiled from recommendations from our readers for our readers. We hope that you can give one of these shops a try and avoid any annoying and unnecessary comments from prying hairdressers. We hope that one of these shops could be your next destination to get the cut that you’ve been wanting.