I can subsist on very minimal shopping (ie for fashion) – yes, I’m the non-conformist anomaly that fails to fit perfectly into the stereotyical shopaholic female – but I have to confess, I can’t live without a great hair job. I’m far from the hair fashionista constantly experimenting with the latest styles in vogue – yet an appointment with my favourite stylist does wonder to spruce up my crowning glory and elevate my spirits. So despite its arguably non-existential functional value – hair isn’t exactly the most indispensible body part, is it? – this mob of external dead cells has come to represent an essential aspect of my self-projection and -expression.
But of course, I’m not the only one indulging in this (un)necessary evil. I have also evidence to support the ‘malfunction operation’ of gendered binaries where our crowning glories are concerned.
Evidence 1: Desperate balding men seeking camouflage
Take a moment to recall your last encounter with these men who share a common desperate need to stretch their limited resources (precious strands of remaining hair) across the now barren land (balded scalp). Perhaps the men in class can elaborate on the motives behind these desperate measures.
Evidence 2: male spokespersons for hair care products or services
Football fans may wish to correct me here, but I do recall David Beckham getting into trouble with power figures of English football for endorsing hair products (Loreal?). Ironically, this also marks the early beginnings of the metrosexual syndrome.
In Singapore, there’s also an emerging trend of male artists endorsing hair products and services. Ching Chiong (derogatory Singlish term for chi-na) Yunnan Hair Salon also features real and reel life balding men and women reinstating their crowning glories. Apparently not shying from publicity, these providers now seek prime-time spot to showcase their wares.
I so wonder, with the evident significance of our crowning glories, will we witness a proliferation of automated/robotic hair salons that work on reducing human error? I, for one cannot imagine myself sitting through an operation by a professional robotic hair stylist. How about you?
First posted on course blog, Asian Popular Culture in Melbourne
