| Rodolfo Valentin And The Mystique Of The ‘social Salon’ |
Ever wonder why a woman goes to a salon? I do not mean my salon or the salon across town,but
basically, why does she go to a salon?-The answer not so obvious.
Having a salon styling is not a necessity; it can even be a chore. Today’s styles, like our clothes, are simpleand functional, and most women possess skills sufficient to keep their hair neat. The days when a client would not even comb out her hair, let alone wash it herself, are long gone.
What is supposed to be a papering session is often just another item on the “to do” list. Many clients mustbe tempted to skip the whole thing. But they do not. Why? Some new age types maintain that clients visit the salon to feel the increasingly rare intimacy of touch in a microchip-driven society. Social psychologists claim that the salon offers a place for women to gather together and share their lives, sort of a village square for the next century. Both points of view have merit, but let me try out a new theory on you:
If you are a woman, a salon is the only place where someone looks at you. Really looks at you—not at
your clothes, your car or your chest. And, if someone truly looks at you, they just might be able to help youlook at yourself.
Thinking back to my last successful makeover and examining what happened, I remember that I saw a
woman hiding behind her hair and—coaxed her out with a new haircut. I was able to uncover the girl I
glimpsed within the grandmother. What made the makeover work was that I saw who my client really was and I helped her change her look to become more herself.
Traditional ideas about how one should look over the age of 40 are losing ground. None of this is to say that women do not want to appear younger. Many are conflicted about aging. In fact, there is an increase in plastic surgery…there is a difference in what women are spending money on to improve their appearance; also, there is a difference in what they are asking for.
What about the future? If everything is cyclical, will there be a backlash against looking natural and
expressing independence through appearance through appearance? There may well come a time when
conformity will reign—not too soon; I hope!
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