You're going to do WHAT with a knife?!

[Ben_Who]

I've never been quite sure why, but some people are very, VERY weird about hair. It might be like an obsessive-compulsive thing; anything just slightly different catapults them screaming into the Uncanny Valley. I've been dragging this ponytail around long enough to get my share of comments, but I still run across people who take one look and blow a fuse.

[AnqeiicDemise]

I've never been quite sure why, but some people are very, VERY weird about hair. It might be like an obsessive-compulsive thing; anything just slightly different catapults them screaming into the Uncanny Valley. I've been dragging this ponytail around long enough to get my share of comments, but I still run across people who take one look and blow a fuse.

Its why my hair is up 90% of the time. I've heard of people losing plaits because some mental person took shears out into the public. I've also run across some benign videos on YT and some of the comments I've read about how they're fantasizing shaving the woman's head because she's got so much hair just freaks me out.

[Argabarga]

I've never been quite sure why, but some people are very, VERY weird about hair. It might be like an obsessive-compulsive thing; anything just slightly different catapults them screaming into the Uncanny Valley. I've been dragging this ponytail around long enough to get my share of comments, but I still run across people who take one look and blow a fuse.

I think you're on the right track. But I think it's more because while societal standards have relaxed quite a bit, there's still people who think anyone who wears their hair different that what is "traditional" is obviously one of "them" and can't be trusted. Where "them" is whoever group that person has it in for in society.

That may explain why so many unprovoked negative critiques of hair come from crotchety old guys who still haven't let go of the notion that any guy who doesn't have a crew cut is suspect of being a pansy-assed hippie or worse.... kinda like how Victorian era medical textbooks claimed that anyone with a tattoo was obviously mentally sick and a criminal, since no "proper" person would want one.

[ShinyGreenApple]

I figured some people still living in 50 years ago would make judgments, but this guy is (or was!) one of my best regulars, I thought we had a great customer/clerk relationship. I honestly was pretty shocked. I forget what meds he's even on, but I don't think any of them are for mental issues or anything like that.

The one reason I felt confident enough to do this was because I've been at this job for over two years and have a great reputation. My bosses love me, I'm close friends with most of the techs and my fellow cashier, and most customers at least like me, so they know I'm not one of 'those' people. I wouldn't do something like this right after starting a new job. Unless of course said job was at a call center or Hot Topic or somesuch where no one would blink about it.

I ordered some more toner and Joico toning shampoo to see if I can get the rest of the orange out. Darn my stubborn hair color! If the Mella doesn't work I'll get the Manic Panic.

[dragon_wings]

I'm a very punk chick. I've dyed my hair so many different colors its not even funny. My favorite was the purple though. Boy was that fun. But back when I was in Baltimore I had an asshole talk total shit to me cause I faux hawked my hair and dyed just my bangs purple. I'd like him to see me now. I buzz my hair to a style similar to what Pink wears (wore). It's very masculine but it fits me as I'm an androgynous chick and it shows of my brand new (as in just over a week old) industrial piercing. The tips of the top of my hair are still red from the last time I dyed my hair too (right before Thanksgiving).

[Jay 2K Winger]

I've never been very adventurous when it comes to my hair. When I was a kid, it was a simple parted-on-the-right short haircut. There was that one time I had it spiked up, but my parents didn't like it and they never let me do it again. When I was old enough to get my hair cut without relying on them for money or transport, I'd grown out of that childish fantasy.

I changed styles to having my hair just kind of brushed flat without any parts to it, and the only dyeing that was done was because my hair was going gray. (Apart from two times I used spray-on hair color, once for a school play (playing Grandpa in "You Can't Take It With You") and once for a cosplay (Ansem the Wise from Kingdom Hearts 2).

Then, of course, I started shaving my head, which got a few stares from people who had gotten used to seeing me with hair, but no one threatened me with a knife over it.

[Argabarga]

Then, of course, I started shaving my head, which got a few stares from people who had gotten used to seeing me with hair, but no one threatened me with a knife over it.

I'm trying to imagine how you'd threaten the head of someone with a buzz.... the worst you could do.. has already been done.

[NotAlBundy]

I'm trying to imagine how you'd threaten the head of someone with a buzz.... the worst you could do.. has already been done.

Maybe instead of a knife, they'd threaten him with a wig or Rogaine.

[dalesys]

I'm trying to imagine how you'd threaten the head of someone with a buzz.... the worst you could do.. has already been done.

My greatuncle O.P. "Destroying Angel" Rockwell could still skelp 'em.

[Jester]

I work at a bar where they really don't give a flying fuck about such things. As long as you maintain proper hygiene and wear the appropriate uniform (i.e., one of our bar shirts), you're good. One of my current coworkers has had purple and pink hair/streaks in her platinum blonde hair. A former coworker had a red stripe in her brunette hair. Two former mail coworkers had various forms of mohawks, double mohawks, braided goatees, and/or different colors in the aforementioned permutations. Hell, our current general manager is a big, bearded, pierced, tattooed guy who looks like he's a roadie for ZZ Top.

Makes on again/off again goatee thing seem very minor by comparison.

[AnqeiicDemise]

I think you're on the right track. But I think it's more because while societal standards have relaxed quite a bit, there's still people who think anyone who wears their hair different that what is "traditional" is obviously one of "them" and can't be trusted. Where "them" is whoever group that person has it in for in society.

That may explain why so many unprovoked negative critiques of hair come from crotchety old guys who still haven't let go of the notion that any guy who doesn't have a crew cut is suspect of being a pansy-assed hippie or worse.... kinda like how Victorian era medical textbooks claimed that anyone with a tattoo was obviously mentally sick and a criminal, since no "proper" person would want one.

People are weird about hair. As mentioned previously, I'm a tad hair obsessed and I keep my hair in tip-top-shape. Its also absurdly long compared to the norm (Hah! I feel bald compared to the gents and ladies of LHC. ) and I'm also one of those poor people with a 'share all your troubles with me face'.

I've been told how long hair is:

a) disgusting
b) sick
c) lazy
d) high maintenance (how can it be lazy AND high maintenance, I don't know!)
e) unflattering
g) WEIRD
h) many, many other negative adjectives.

Then sooner or later they see me with my hair loose (I like to show off the length every now and then) and they're like "OH MY GOD!! Your hair is so long, and pretty and.. wow...! You must go through a bottle of shampoo every wash! Such dedication!"

ltdr: people are strange about hair. Just.. strange.

[Food Lady]

AD, I totally agree. And if you're short compared to LHC standards, I'm bald!

I wish I could do something funky like that, but, sigh, I have to look 'professional' and 'hair must be a natural color and styled in good taste.' Gah.

Hmmm...."styled and in good taste" is sooo subjective. Take that and run with it.

[PepperElf]

"But . . . but LOOK at her! She looks like something from outer space. If I had a knife I'd cut it all off right now!"

WHAT THE FUCK?

I honestly hope you can banhammer him out of your store.

I don't care that he was only talking about attacking your hair - to me that's still a threat. Worthy of telling him "stay the fuck out".

what an asshole


btw... to be honest when I saw X-men I wanted a "rogue" dye job too. couldn't get one though cos of uniform regs. The most I could do was hope and pray that the grey streak at my forehead would keep on going until it looked just like the one in the movie. (cos then the navy couldn't say jack shit about it - can't write me up for having a natural grey streak)

but alas my "rogue" never went the way I wanted it to go. it has decided to spread out throughout my scalp, rather than concentrate at the forehead.

[b2addm]

...But . . . . don't care. Still like my white streaks

And that's the only thing that matters and the only opinion that really counts.

The nerve of that asshat is unreal...actually threatening to chop at your hair with a knife because HE doesn't like it. WTF? He must be the world's most clueless mf'er to not realize how effed up it is to even think something like that, much less say it.

[RootedPhoenix]

That customer was awful. I like that hair.