I recently had the chance to work with a wonderful pair of women while I was on the road.
Amber Gereau, an old dear friend, invited me over while she was working on a client's hair. As it turned out, the client was another old friend named Amy I had become especially close with the summer past. What great luck!
I proceeded to watch an incredibly painful experience of a woman's whim to change her look. This particular day it was the weave of hair extensions. Thankfully I have never had short enough hair to desire such a procedure. (Yes, procedure.)
Of course, with such pampering in the air, I too joined in the mood and got a deep conditioning for my winter abused, straw like hair.
It was just like when we were teens, when we primped for hours on end, giggling and enjoying each other's company. Thankfully we weren't confined to the bathroom anymore, though I do miss it. Perhaps I just long for the feel of being as close as we were then. Back when we were experimenting with our beauty.
Here we are. We're back together once again, laughing and making ourselves up.
Silly girls.
Sitting awkwardly, with my bound hair heavy with conditioner, I'm laughing at the insanity of tears rolling down Amy face. Inwardly I wonder if it's worth it but I know the answer.
I know very well why women do these things. It's deliciously hedonistic to indulge in our very base genetic desires to be attractive, just for the sake of it. It's one thing when we have no partner, it either consumes us, or we repress the very instinct often blaming men for it. It's another when we have mated, yet we still play into the game of being desirable creatures. Unnecessary, but a delightful esteem boost, for both you and the partner who gets to show you off.
In fact, it is that very base desire to be attractive that fuels my decision to help men and women express this. I fulfill those images they had only toyed with the thought of through photography.
One cannot go into the beauty industry without understanding how powerful a beautiful image is. In person, or in print.
I have it easy. I have to execute a thing of beauty once, with many chances to tweak imperfections as I go. My work enjoys the success of permanence once I have achieved pleasing only the eye.
Those in the beauty industry have to concern themselves with not only the perfection, but the maintenance of every pore, lash, nail and strand of hair. They must also address smell & texture. These details are astoundingly important in person. We experience others with all our senses, and we can't help but react to these cues. There's no hiding behind a blur filter and strong lighting in real life.
I too scoffed at the idea of a "beauty school drop-out". How sad is that, I laughed.
I take it back.
These are both scientists and artists in one. Not to mention behaviorists and even therapists. It takes an extremely wide range of ability and talent to succeed in that field.
So here I am, seeing an old friend in a new light.
We can't fool ourselves. We aren't the silly girls anymore. We talk of science, art and technology. Not only of relationships. We are no longer on an even playing field. We are specialists containing knowledge the other knows little of. We have become highly skilled professionals. We pay each other for the services we used to only inflict on each other.
We are The Stylist, The Actress, and The Photographer.
Somewhere there are photographs of a girl with a curling iron doing her girlfriend's hair, one entertaining some friends, and another taking a photo of herself in the mirror for art class.
All I can do is laugh.
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