The Haircut

I did it again. The magazine arrived, and there on the cover was the headline: "The new haircut that's all the buzz!" I immediately started flipping through the first three dozen pages of glossy ads.  Being a March issue, this one was pretty thick, the kind where you have to get to page 75 before you find the table of contents.  And, of course, the table of contents was spread out over 5 pages, with more glossy ads interspersed.  Beauty....Trends...Fashion?  Where was the article about the new haircut?  I didn't see it, so I slowed down and started reading through the entire issue.  About two-thirds of the way in, I came across a small, boxed one-paragraph feature at the bottom of a page.  It was about models who are shaving their heads.  Hmmm, interesting, I thought as I continued on to the next page.  When I got to the fashion editorial spread towards the back, I recognized that this was the end of the articles.  Where was the hot new haircut article?  I turned back to the cover.  "The new haircut that's all the buzz"...."all the buzz".  Wait, are they talking about those models shaving their heads?  Buzz cuts?

And that's when I realized that I fell into the trap again.  Magazines come in every month with these teasers on the cover.  And so many times, they are just referencing a small blurb inside.  I mean, one paragraph about five models who have shaved their heads?  Does that qualify as the new haircut?

In our business, of course I want to know what the latest trends are.  And, in fact, we have a few clients who have shaved parts of their head - one side or underneath.  It looks edgy and cool, and it perfectly suits those clients.  But it is not the haircut for all clients.  For a while, the new haircut was long-tressed celebrities chopping off their hair into bobs.  The next season, long-bobs, aka "lobs", was the haircut (or, simply, grown out bobs). Now, it's the choppy lob, or, as Ann pointed out, "Choppy lob? It's a shag cut!"

Why are we always looking for the new haircut, and constantly flipping through these magazines?  I guess it's because, well, hair grows.  And as long as we need a haircut, why not get the haircut?  Although, I may sit out the buzz cut this season.  Maybe a long-layered choppy lob instead.