It's common sense that every adult should be able to make decisions about their appearance. And if they want to enhance their appearance by figuring out what makes their features look better or worse, there are beauty specialists to ask about it or even help realize it.
Yet, when certain professionals give their advice without being asked, it can be counterproductive. Just like in today's story -- the woman's hairstylist insinuated that she was trying to change herself after a breakup, which caused unpleasant feelings for the woman.
More info: Reddit
Sometimes, even what seems like a non-threatening comment about somebody else's actions can cause a rift between two people
Image credits: RDNE Stock project (not the actual photo)
A woman had a hairstylist whom she visited occasionally for a few years to make minor changes to her hair
Image credits: chopitoffalready
One day, she came for a visit at the salon and asked for something a bit different -- a short pixie cut
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
The hairstylist implied that she wanted "breakup hair" and refused such a short cut, arguing that she didn't want to "waste" nice hair
Image credits: cottonbro studio (not the actual photo)
Image credits: chopitoffalready
This caused the woman to storm out of the salon, ruining the affiliation between them
The post’s author had a hairstylist she’s been seeing for a few years. They were getting along pretty well, as they used to chat during the appointments, which led the hairstylist to know quite a bit about the OP’s life.
Throughout her life and time with the hairdresser Talia, the post’s author usually had long hair, with the shortest length being to her shoulders. As she herself said -- she doesn’t do a lot with her hair. She usually just adds bangs, layers, and things like that. So, deciding to go for a short pixie cut was kind of a big deal for her.
After the stylist heard this request, she joked that it was a “breakup hair,” which wasn’t true, according to the OP. While, yes, she broke up with her boyfriend a few weeks before, it had nothing to do with him.
“Breakup hair” is a phenomenon where people drastically change their hairstyle after a breakup. Yet, some say that it happens not only after breakups but also after major life events. Changing the hairstyle after something big happens or is supposed to happen is a way of taking control of something in your life. It also can work as a confidence boost.
So, when the OP requested an unusual style for herself, the hairstylist refused to cut it that short because she didn’t want to “waste” nice hair. She also added another justification, saying that a few big events are coming up in the post’s author’s life, so she should reconsider, as she doesn’t want to regret having short hair in the photos.
Well, this offended the OP quite a lot. After all, she’s a grown woman who can make her own decisions, and they’re not Talia’s responsibility -- she should just do what she’s told. So, after some back and forth, the woman left the salon and refused to pay a cancellation fee. She and the hairstylist parted ways.
After the woman told the story to a couple of people in her life, she received mixed reactions -- some defended the way she acted, while others tried to justify the stylist’s words. And that prompted her to come to Reddit to ask whether she was a jerk to storm out.
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska (not the actual photo)
Some people online stated that the jerk was the stylist who refused to perform a service without any proper reasoning except her own views on beauty. Some proper reasons a hairstylist can refuse service include:
- Products used for service can cause harm to customer’s health (for example allergies);
- A customer is disrespectful;
- A customer doesn't comply with the salon’s rules;
- A customer is underage.
As you can see, the stylist’s refusal wasn’t related to any of these reasons, which makes her a jerk in some people’s eyes.
At the same time, some other folks in the comments called the OP the jerk. In their eyes, the stylist only wanted to give professional advice, and the customer storming out wasn’t reasonable and was a very jerk-ish move.
Both sides provide rational arguments, don’t they? So, our verdict (which is heavily based on netizens’ opinions) is that both of the parties involved were a bit wrong and a bit right. It wasn’t nice from the stylist’s side to insinuate that the new hairstyle was "breakup hair," but the woman storming out and ruining the long-lasting relationship between them wasn’t the nicest thing either.
On the other hand, who hasn't overreacted or said an improper thing at least once in this life, right?
People online had mixed reactions -- some argued that the hairdresser wasn't right to refuse the service, while others said the woman acted like a jerk by walking out
