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I'll confess: there's something about certain haircuts which Does Things to me. I don't know exactly how I acquired this fetish; all I know is that I've had it for a long time. I remember, in particular, a railroad trip when I was seven or eight years old; there were a bunch of college kids on the train who had Mohawks, and I was fascinated and enthralled. That hasn't changed one bit.
Part of this--but only part--has to do with the fact that the "here it is" part of getting one's hair cut is only the tip of the iceberg: It's a very small part of a cultural Ritual that is represented by a seemingly-simple act, which has a great deal to do with our internalized (and often unspoken) views of what a "man" is and the entire nature of "manhood." Barber shops, after all, have always been regarded in our culture as bastions of male supremacy, one of those Places Women Dare Not Enter (and vice-versa). Changing societal values and styles of male dress (including long and styled hair) have not done much to change that. And there is still a marked difference in the gestalt of salons which cater primarily to men versus those which cater primarily to women, as any man who has had his hair styled in a largely female-patronized shop is made uncomfortably aware.
I've always been interested in unusual hair styles, particularly short hair of late but also Mohawks and other "weird" styles; my own hair is currently in a military-style "high 'n' tight" flattop cut, although it's previously been in many different styles -- down to my ass in my Hippie Period, and (a few years ago) in a Mohawk (photos of both on the Photos OF G.T. page in the Personal section).
For the short hair buffs, there are additional shots of Marines on a separate page in this site, and virtually all of the portraits pages (see the Table of Contents) have some haircut shots: they're not all here by any means. I have many more images to be posted on this page; now that getting the Shopping Cart set up is out of the way I have more time to do scanning, and those images will be up soon.
So why this specific haircuts page? So I can make some haircut-related comments; and to focus upon some particularly unusual haircuts (captured both in candid views on the street and in portraits), and upon shots of men getting their hair cut. At the bottom of the page are a couple of shots from Clippers gay haircutting parties, and there are more of those to come.
Catalog Number: 97-12
Parking lot of a home-improvement store, NW corner of Sunset Blvd. and Western Ave., Hollywood, CA, 23 July 1991. (He's probably waiting for a bus with some friends.)  |
Catalog Number: 465-42Rasta style at the Pioneer Days parade, 29 Palms, California, 16 October 1993.
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Catalog Number: 410-9aGuy on Adobe Road in 29 Palms, 27 July 1993. This hairstyle is a "Mullet," and this is a rather classic example of one. According to the North American Mullet Page: Mullets have been around for as long as time has been recorded. They have gone by many different names, most recently known as the "bi-level," "camaro-cut," "hockey player," "beaver paddle," "dirt monkey," "soccer rocker," "10/90," "drape ape," "neck blanket," "schlong," "Kentucky waterfall," "dirtstick" or the "butt-rocker." I do not pretend to understand the reasoning behind the Mullet, or why they choose to look the way they do. I seriously doubt most of them are even aware that they are Mullets. However, once you know what a Mullet is and what to look for you will see them EVERYWHERE. One of the best places to spot Mullets on television is any cable channel that plays country music videos. For whatever reason, the Mullet appears to be the preferred "look' for the male (and yes, sometimes female [...]) country music star. Seeing is believing... It seems to me that the Mullet originated among Hispanics and spread into the mainstream culture, such that it has become common among working-class men of all races--even (as the NAMP observes) Good Ole Country Boys like Billy Ray Cyrus. You'll find lots more Mullets in this site, particularly on the People Page 4 page, which is mostly Hispanics. (This shot replaces the previously-posted one, which has been withdrawn.) Oh ... the NAMP and the other pages that it links to are down on Mullets. Permit me to register a dissent: I like Mullets. So there. Neener, neener, neener.
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Catalog Number: 128-19Mark the Punk, 31 August 1991. I had previously posted another shot of Mark, and it and this one were combined into the Punk Diptych. That other shot and the Punk Diptych are temporarily withdrawn, but only temporarily--they will be restored soon. And there are many other shots of Mark waiting in the wings for circumstances to permit their appearance. |
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A 13-year-old gets his first Mohawk, 29 Palms, California, 16 December 1993. I had just had my Mohawk redone when the boy and his mother came in. He wanted a "freaky" haircut and eventually decided on the Mohawk--with a little prodding from me, I must confess. I got his mother's permission to take some photos, but by the time I got back with my camera the hair removal had been done and the barber was in the process of cleaning the cut up.
Please note that the interiors are poor in quality and grainy, in particular the wide shot: while they will go to 16x20, don't expect them to be first-rate. The last three (posed) shots, however, are excellent.
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Mike, an ex-Marine when the photos were taken (29 Palms, 29 June 1994) although I think he returned to active duty. Mike's an Indian from upstate New York; as with Mark the Punk, there are more shots of Mike waiting in the wings for time and circumstances.
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Two shots (more to come) from Clippers gay haircutting parties in Los Angeles, CA.
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