# Those posters of African-American hairstyles at the barbershop **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 12, 2023, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512 "2023-12-12T23:28:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/21 "2023-12-13T06:41:11Z")
The barber I went to as a kid recently retired. I thought he was old then but he must have only been in his late 20s. He had the same haircut poster up the entire time. > [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > The barbers in Iraq were the most skilled I’ve ever encountered. I would point to a template, and they would cut my hair perfectly in less time than anyone else ever has. It may have helped that most of us got it cut similarly. We had two barbers on our FOB. One I dubbed The Butcher of Baghdad (proud to say the name stuck). I assume it’s because his straight razor was dull. When he would straight razor the back of someone’s neck it would leave the entire area angry red and painful for a day or two. You could always tell when someone went to the Butcher. Sometimes it was necessary because the other guy was so popular. He was called The Turk. Because he was from Turkey. Not all nicknames can be winners. He did a technique where he would put a cotton ball on a skewer, dip it in alcohol and light it on fire. He would dab this flaming torch on your ears to singe the little hairs off. Scary as hell the first time it happened but damn if it didn’t work. That guy made a lot of money off of us. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 6:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/22 "2023-12-13T06:43:32Z")
My beautician can only cut one hair cut. It’s sad but the Karen/Mom haircut is still a thing around here. I have to have help babysitting her through the fact I do not want any hair “cut”. Just trim the ends. I don’t even like that. But the lil’wrekker insists they must be, hair stylist guru that she believes she is. The beautician is a great colorist and this is what I really need her for. (I’m fully aware hair stylist don’t like the term beautician anymore, I don’t care. I pay the big bucks for the privilege of demeaning her status😊 not really, I love her) ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/23 "2023-12-13T06:47:03Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > This sounds to me like a salesman came by at some point with free posters and the shop took them and put them up. That was my vibe. Reminds me of my old workplace where we’d have a poster with the “Tulip of the Year” winners from 1996-2006 on the wall. No one was going to reference it; it just took up space and was industry related. My wife has taken the kids before to a salon and used the books to nail down a style but the books were current. I always wonder about the posters/photos of elaborate hair above the mirrors at your Great Clips and related places. I suppose the stylists went to school like everyone else and could do it, but the idea of hitting up the Great Clips for that feels weird to me. I’m a guy whose had the same basic haircut since graduating high school though so what do I know. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/24 "2023-12-13T11:58:35Z")
This is the first thing I thought of: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/hTiirKS.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/hTiirKS) ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/25 "2023-12-13T14:33:48Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > This sounds to me like a salesman came by at some point with free posters and the shop took them and put them up. “Ubiquitous item of decor found in all establishments of a certain type” is certainly consistent with “sales freebie”, but what would the salesman have been selling, and how did the posters help him sell it? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/26 "2023-12-13T14:40:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > what would the salesman have been selling, and how did the posters help him sell it? Scissors, clippers, Bay Rum, barber capes with window sections so you can see your phone, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/27 "2023-12-13T14:42:11Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > but what would the salesman have been selling, and how did the posters help him sell it? Hair product. Some African-American hairstyles require a lot of it. ---
**Author:** ![Dorjan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dorjan/32/12440_2.png) [@Dorjan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dorjan)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/28 "2023-12-13T14:57:01Z")
At this point, those posters are just black barbershop decor - a bit of nostalgia and “old school” cred to show how long the shop has been around. In my experience, no one has actually sat down in the chair and picked a style off of that poster in decades, although current popular styles are still mostly derivatives of “the fade” that dominated the '90s. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/29 "2023-12-13T15:15:33Z")
‘Official hair styles for men and boys’. Official? According to who? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/30 "2023-12-13T16:19:43Z")
> [@Ike\_Witt](#): > > Official? According to who? Floyd! mmm ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/31 "2023-12-13T16:34:50Z")
I’ve never seen those posters (even as a kid). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/32 "2023-12-13T16:36:33Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Hair product. Some African-American hairstyles require a lot of it. OK, I can see that. A barber might avoid doing those styles if they don’t know how, or if their customers aren’t aware they’re an option, but if they have the poster to guide them, they might do them (and thus sell a lot of hair product). ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/33 "2023-12-13T16:43:49Z")
From my early 20s to my early 50s I never went to a barber shop. I had a ponytail and beard. Every year or so I cut off 6-8 inches from my ponytail. When my beard got too ZZTop looking I’d try to trim it, which usually didn’t look good so I’d shave it off and immediately start growing it again. Then I shaved my head. I kept it shaved for a few years, then stopped. It grew back. I didn’t know what to do. One weekend we were in Johnstown for their music festival. Across from our hotel I saw a busy storefront with people coming and going. I crossed the street and saw it was a barber shop. I went in and wound up talking with the owner who seemed like a cool guy. I asked if he could cut my hair and he told me he was just getting into doing white hair and he’d be happy to cut mine. He did a great job and for the next year or so I made the pilgrimage to Johnstown (a 1 hour 15 minute drive). I eventually found someone closer, though not better. He had an old poster of black hair styles. He told me my style was a white guy fade (not on the poster). Interestingly, he learned barbering in prison. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/34 "2023-12-13T16:45:40Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > All books and posters in beauty shops are old and the styles not attainable by the average person, with hair. This is so very, very true. > [@Seanette](#): > > Vaguely related: most manicurists I’ve encountered in my area are Asian immigrants (most commonly Vietnamese or Korean, so far as I know). Wonder if those are easier fields for someone with limited English living in the US to find work in? You might also like: [A Brief History and Unspoken Reality of the Vietnamese Nail Salon Worker | VSAcademy | UNAVSA](https://vsacademy.unavsa.org/project/a-brief-history-and-unspoken-reality-of-the-vietnamese-nail-salon-worker/#:~:text=Vietnamese%20entrepreneurs%20came%20to%20revolutionize,each%20other%20and%20pool%20resources). > [@Loach](#): > > He did a technique where he would put a cotton ball on a skewer, dip it in alcohol and light it on fire. He would dab this flaming torch on your ears to singe the little hairs off. Scary as hell the first time it happened but damn if it didn’t work. Yes, I’ve had the flaming ear dance. It’s terrifying the first time when you’re not sure what he’s doing, but fun thereafter. The other technique that was sprung on me with no warning was the nose wax. And trust me when I say that’s not something you want sprung suddenly on you. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/35 "2023-12-13T17:00:03Z")
I think it’s as simple as: - Salesperson for hair products company comes in, leaves some posters - Barber shop hangs posters because they have empty wall space and posters look appropriately barbershop related - Customers come in, look at poster either for hair ideas or out of boredom while waiting and see “Acme Hair Products” on the bottom. Advertising achieved - Posters never come down because of inertia. Hey, the wall space is filled now, why rock the boat. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/36 "2023-12-13T17:02:14Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Sometimes it was necessary because the other guy was so popular. He was called The Turk. Because he was from Turkey. Not all nicknames can be winners. He did a technique where he would put a cotton ball on a skewer, dip it in alcohol and light it on fire. He would dab this flaming torch on your ears to singe the little hairs off. Scary as hell the first time it happened but damn if it didn’t work. That guy made a lot of money off of us. I go to a barbershop with four chairs. Usually the one furthest from the door is staffed by Ron, who is Turkish and is better than the others. (Seriously; I’m oblivious and even I can tell that he does a better job.) Sometimes two or three customers will wait for him rather than go to one of the others. My problem is always the bit when they ask how I want my hair cut and all I can think to say is, “Shorter” which I recognize is unhelpful. The barbershop in the student union in college would keep an index card on each customer, listing how they wanted their hair cut, so all I had to do there was say my name so they could pull my card. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/37 "2023-12-13T17:05:51Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > The barbershop in the student union in college would keep an index card on each customer, listing how they wanted their hair cut, The guy I use now has a card catalogue. I was shocked that he remembered how I liked my hair cut, my personal details, where I lived, etc. The guy who referred me told me about the cards. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/38 "2023-12-13T17:07:21Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I asked if he could cut my hair and he told me he was just getting into doing white hair and he’d be happy to cut mine. He did a great job and for the next year or so I made the pilgrimage to Johnstown (a 1 hour 15 minute drive). I’m curious which Johnstown this was… The one I’m most familiar with is Pennsylvania, but I’m not sure there are enough black folks there to support a barber who specializes in black hair. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > My problem is always the bit when they ask how I want my hair cut and all I can think to say is, “Shorter” which I recognize is unhelpful. There’ve been a couple of times I’ve tried telling the stylist “You’re the professional; come up with something that you think would look good on me”. Because, I mean, I don’t know what styles look good. They usually don’t, though: Probably there are too many customers who end up upset with the result and blame them. Until I realized that what looks best on me is pretty much just “put on the quarter inch attachment and go all over”, which I can do at home. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/39 "2023-12-13T17:08:54Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > I’m curious which Johnstown this was… The one I’m most familiar with is Pennsylvania, but I’m not sure there are enough black folks there to support a barber who specializes in black hair. Not sure how to say this, but yes, Johnstown, PA. There is an area that is where most of the black people around there live… ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2023, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512/40 "2023-12-13T17:10:58Z")
I’m amused when they ask how I want the back of my head cut, because really, I’m not looking at it, so why would I care? And their new thing is they ask if I want them to trim my eyebrows. Now mine look OK to me but perhaps they’re trying to tell me something. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-posters-of-african-american-hairstyles-at-the-barbershop/994512.md?page=3)