Usually when one thinks of a barber, the image that pops into mind is that of a man wielding a razor and you’d least expect to picture a female so skilfully handling a shaving blade. It’s definitely not easy to imagine a woman within the settings of moustaches, musky scents of aftershave and raging male testosterone.
That is, until you step into the ‘A’ Street Barber Shop where 26-year-old Miss Gwen works. She is one of the few hairdressers in Singapore who call themselves ‘female barbers’ and are clipping away the gender stereotypes of the barber business.
In this
Channel NewsAsia report, she says that the revival of the barber trade based on the ‘gentlemen’ concept has reinforced prejudices against female barbers, who some clients look down on (because of an irrational fear of leaving the shop looking like a balding senior citizen).Some men are just reluctant about getting a haircut from a woman at a barbershop, but they just don’t know that female barbers can become as good, if not better than their male counterparts. After all, women care more — they tend to pay attention to little details and are more meticulous.
Photo/Video: Goh Chiew Tong, Channel NewsAsia. Click here to read the original Channel NewsAsia report. by Goh Chiew Tong.
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