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GENDER ROLES
Exploring My Emerging Womanhood One Haircut at A Time
Recalling this safe space reminds me of how it was, but not as it should be
At the age of 13, the extent of my sex education consisted of two things: first, a booklet that came with my first bag of Kotex pads explaining the “facts of life” and second, a description of what 69 meant, which my friend Phillip described as he drew the numbers in the dirt behind the football bleachers, horrifying my friends and me. Both were sorely inadequate sources. However, the magazines in my aunt’s beauty shop, and the chats we had as I sat in her chair, filled in the gaps.
My favorite aunt gave me my first haircut and continued cutting my hair until I got a job and moved away. When I would travel home to see family, I would always schedule a haircut from her. She never charged me, or anyone in my family, a dime. More importantly, her haircuts were hands down the best I have ever experienced.
But, much more than the haircuts drew me to “the shop.”
When I hopped on her swivel chair, my aunt and I had private time to talk. Sandwiched between us, she was 15 years older than me and 10 years younger than my mom. She navigated both relationships well, being a voice of reason for me when I was not…
