Questioning Conventions
Now that I have started this job, I feel a few of my favorite topics are off limits. For example, I have a lot to say about the Judith Miller case simply based upon what I have read but don’t feel it is appropriate since people in my office have business relationships with her. Often I feel like all of my potential blog topics are within this grey area and I become frustrated. However, recently there is so much to write about and never enough hours in the day – especially if you party/sleep your weekends away like I just did. Two major things are currently taking up space in my brain. One regards my trip to a spa/salon in the city Saturday morning and the other, my friend’s withdrawal from a PhD program in history. I’ll start today with the first one.
Saturday morning I reinstated my “blonde” status at Maiden Lane Salon and Spa in San Francisco. In the past year Nicki has introduced me to the concept of the expensive haircut – and as would be expected, I took to it easily. As for my highlights (for those of you who don’t know – I haven’t been a natural blonde since high school) I always get them done cheaply in Redding. Unfortunately I am not able to go home much anymore and was forced to bite the bullet and pay an exorbitant Bay Area price for my artificial color as well.
Trips to a salon, designer jeans…are all luxury items I enjoy more or less guilt free because I believe that I can be a politically aware/conscientious individual without feeling a need to deny myself the occasional luxury. Whether I am deluding myself or can actually make a good case for this ethical belief could be discussed at length and probably serve as the topic for a future blog entry.
Events at the salon this weekend, however, caused me to question the innocent-nature of a once-in-a-while pampering. As my hair glaze was setting I entertained myself by listening in on the conversation occurring next to me by a customer and her colorist. The customer, I can only assume, worked for a high-end fashion label, because they were discussing Giselle’s spread for her company in the fashion mag she was reading. The colorist asked, “Doesn’t that specific piece only go up to size eight?” The customer responded in the affirmative and acknowledged that even though the style would actually look quite good on a larger woman, the label doesn’t want to be represented by that demographic. Ouch! Larger than size eight my friends does not a large woman make. However, it is not their numerical delineation of what is and is not acceptable for their label that truly bothers me, it is that they define a standard at all. Sure, I guess all brands including the mainstream like Gap (size 14) or the slightly higher-end like Citizens of Humanity (size 32) draw the line somewhere and maybe a conversation should be had about that too… but I am going to assume they draw a line because the demand does not make larger sizes cost-effective in the mass-produced clothing world (not that I think cost-effectiveness is a good measurement either). However, I guess it becomes harder to swallow/ more problematic in my mind with the high end brands because they aren’t mass-producing their clothes and because they are openly stating (inside the salon) that a larger than size 8 woman does not fit their branded image.
Later in the conversation, the colorist relayed a related-story to her customer. Basically she made fun of another client she has who approached the salespeople at a popular new store, Zara, to ask why they didn’t sell clothing in her size. The colorist continued to make fun of her client (not present) along with her current customer, both of whom relayed comments like “its not their fault she has a problem.” Whoa! I liked the colorist I had at the salon, and I also like feeling pampered every once in awhile by the surroundings (being offered unlimited coffee while having my head massaged is my idea of a good time), but I don’t know if I am comfortable there anymore. I may fit into their standards, but that doesn’t mean I should buy into them as well. It was one of those moments that caused me to question if the lifestyle I lead is as innocuous as I like to believe. As I have talked to many of you about before, often lengthy process of analyzation that goes on in my head (weighing the consequences of my behaviors) before I decide to change my actions… but I think the discussion itself, or that moment of disconnect in itself is important for it is at least forcing me to confront that fact that my behavior has social consequences. My actions (dying my hair, watching The OC, dancing to hip-hop) have become habits that seem natural. Often it is in those jarring moments that we have the opportunity to disconnect from our habits and see that there is actually a decision being made that might not be so harmless. Whether or not I actually decide to change salons or go back to my roots has yet to be seen. But I will ask the age-old question here: what image am I buying into? who is not allowed to belong? This line of questioning reminds me of another lengthy blog I want to write regarding women and “liberation.”
Saturday morning I reinstated my “blonde” status at Maiden Lane Salon and Spa in San Francisco. In the past year Nicki has introduced me to the concept of the expensive haircut – and as would be expected, I took to it easily. As for my highlights (for those of you who don’t know – I haven’t been a natural blonde since high school) I always get them done cheaply in Redding. Unfortunately I am not able to go home much anymore and was forced to bite the bullet and pay an exorbitant Bay Area price for my artificial color as well.
Trips to a salon, designer jeans…are all luxury items I enjoy more or less guilt free because I believe that I can be a politically aware/conscientious individual without feeling a need to deny myself the occasional luxury. Whether I am deluding myself or can actually make a good case for this ethical belief could be discussed at length and probably serve as the topic for a future blog entry.
Events at the salon this weekend, however, caused me to question the innocent-nature of a once-in-a-while pampering. As my hair glaze was setting I entertained myself by listening in on the conversation occurring next to me by a customer and her colorist. The customer, I can only assume, worked for a high-end fashion label, because they were discussing Giselle’s spread for her company in the fashion mag she was reading. The colorist asked, “Doesn’t that specific piece only go up to size eight?” The customer responded in the affirmative and acknowledged that even though the style would actually look quite good on a larger woman, the label doesn’t want to be represented by that demographic. Ouch! Larger than size eight my friends does not a large woman make. However, it is not their numerical delineation of what is and is not acceptable for their label that truly bothers me, it is that they define a standard at all. Sure, I guess all brands including the mainstream like Gap (size 14) or the slightly higher-end like Citizens of Humanity (size 32) draw the line somewhere and maybe a conversation should be had about that too… but I am going to assume they draw a line because the demand does not make larger sizes cost-effective in the mass-produced clothing world (not that I think cost-effectiveness is a good measurement either). However, I guess it becomes harder to swallow/ more problematic in my mind with the high end brands because they aren’t mass-producing their clothes and because they are openly stating (inside the salon) that a larger than size 8 woman does not fit their branded image.
Later in the conversation, the colorist relayed a related-story to her customer. Basically she made fun of another client she has who approached the salespeople at a popular new store, Zara, to ask why they didn’t sell clothing in her size. The colorist continued to make fun of her client (not present) along with her current customer, both of whom relayed comments like “its not their fault she has a problem.” Whoa! I liked the colorist I had at the salon, and I also like feeling pampered every once in awhile by the surroundings (being offered unlimited coffee while having my head massaged is my idea of a good time), but I don’t know if I am comfortable there anymore. I may fit into their standards, but that doesn’t mean I should buy into them as well. It was one of those moments that caused me to question if the lifestyle I lead is as innocuous as I like to believe. As I have talked to many of you about before, often lengthy process of analyzation that goes on in my head (weighing the consequences of my behaviors) before I decide to change my actions… but I think the discussion itself, or that moment of disconnect in itself is important for it is at least forcing me to confront that fact that my behavior has social consequences. My actions (dying my hair, watching The OC, dancing to hip-hop) have become habits that seem natural. Often it is in those jarring moments that we have the opportunity to disconnect from our habits and see that there is actually a decision being made that might not be so harmless. Whether or not I actually decide to change salons or go back to my roots has yet to be seen. But I will ask the age-old question here: what image am I buying into? who is not allowed to belong? This line of questioning reminds me of another lengthy blog I want to write regarding women and “liberation.”
posted by LeahT at 4:35 PM
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