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This is the first time I hear "black barbershop". Is it what I think it is, why is such separation needed?
There's no requirement, and there's no reason a white person can't go to a black barbershop, but black people's hair is often much different to cut than most white people's hair, and preferred styles quite different.
It's not so much "this barber is for black people" and more so "this barber is owned by black people, so black people can assume they'll be given the experience they're looking for"
Yeah. The first time I went to a black barbershop, the barber seemed a little apprehensive at first as I have straight/wavy hair and he was used to cutting other kinds of hair.
It was also the first time in a while that, after I got my hair cut, people complimented me on having a good hair cut instead of just getting my hair cut.
As an Elmer's glue looking person myself, before I started letting my hair grow I was only going to black barbershops to get a buzz cut. I don't know what the hell they do different cause it felt the exact same as every other haircut, but my hair fell so much nicer. Literally the texture was 10x better.
It also seemed way more even despite the fact that it took less time.
Also, they had a guy out front who made BBQ sandwiches once every few weeks. I scheduled my haircuts around him being there. He got really bad mono and was out for a month. I let my hair grow the entire time.
They likely used better equipment. I've done the same and a black co-worker explained that black hair is much coarser than white hair so they must use much sharper shears and keep them in top shape. Your typical (white) barber shop would use shears well past when they are too dull to cut black hair in an acceptable way but work well enough for the average white customer, but sharp shears leave hair much healthier and give a cleaner cut.
Also, I don’t think black hair care is taught in most beauty schools or tested for for most state licensing exams.
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Because the hair is different. It's not necessary, but it's a common thing that barbers know how to cut hair similar to their own the best. I know first hand what happens if the barber isn't used to hair that is unusual.
I'll just say, apparently a military cut is hard to do for some people when the hair this thick
Not a professional but have been cutting my own hair, and my kids hair for a couple of decades.
Really thick hair takes different clippers to cut effectively. You want sharp blades with longer tines and more power on the clippers. Without the right setup, the blades get clogged up really fast and don't cut. It's annoying as hell.
I have finer hair and my wife has extremely thick hair.
My son with fine hair is extremely easy to cut. The clippers go through it like butter. Really quick and easy to do. No water needed just a quick comb and cut. Minor mistakes just disappear.
My son with thick hair is much more difficult. It has to be wet or the clippers and scissors can't cut it well. It's still slow going and any little mistake shows.
Black people have different hair from other races, many times non-black folks don't know how to accommodate these textures. Beyond that, historically, the barbershop in Black communities is a meeting place. People gather to discuss current events, politics, pop culture, and life in general. In this space, everyone is on the same footing. It's a cultural thing, so there is a distinction.
I'm not Black, so take that into consideration. What I've heard is that while hair-cutting skill is a factor, it's not just about that. Barbershops have historically served a social function within the Black community that carries on to this day. Here's a source.
From what I’ve seen in Australia, it’s the different hair texture and knowledge/methods to style/cut it.
As a white dude with extremely curly hair...yeah, kinda. Curly hair must be cut a certain way, otherwise it turns into a frizzball that you can't fix. And the tighter the curls, the harder it is to cut it properly.
I haven't gotten a haircut in nearly 5 years since I decided to embrace the curls. I'm strongly considering just going to a black barbershop just because of the horror stories I've heard about other shops cutting curly hair.
Black people have different hair than other races so it requires a specific skillset not all barbers have aquired. Also the black American community puts a lot of value in their haircuts. Because of that black barbershops are not only a place where you get your hair cut but also an important meeting place in the community with huge cultural importance.
Btw I'm a white German who's never been to the US who got all his information about black barbershops from media so if someone better informed than me chips in I'd rather listen to them than me if I were you.
Racism.
Many black and other minority communities had to establish their own businesses because of being excluded from and/or violence against them at white run businesses.
Bad take. Read the other comments in this thread for the actual reasons.
I mean, they're right as well. Especially here in the South. Until recently where small, local barbershops have become almost a thing of the past. The guy I used to see as a kid (when I had no choice) would chase black people out of his shop with a shotgun while shouting slurs.
His shop only closed when he died in 2010. Racist fucker was almost 100.
Every barbershop where I am used to be like that.
I'm not denying that black people have been kicked out of business as a result of racism. I'm challenging that as the primary reason that black barbershops exist today.
What, the ones that pretend that regular barbershops are somehow unable to handle hair on black folks to such an extent that they needed to start babershops just for black people in black communities?
No, they exist for reasons far beyond barber skill sets.
What a disingenuous representation of the above comments.
Why is it just barbershops then? Why doesn't every business have a primarily black-owned + black-clientele variant?
Dude is trolling you
They did. read up on history.
Give me 3 examples that are still commonplace today.
I said they DID. I'm not talking about today there right? Basic grammar...
And I said "why doesn't" not "why didn't".
Nice try though.
Oh fuck off.
Better luck next time.