Barbers

Centuries ago, certain tribes believed that good and bad spirits entered people's bodies through their hair. The only way to prevent possession: snip away the locks to drive the evil spirits out. And so, the people who cut hair--barbers--quickly assumed a position as the most important members of the community. They not only cut hair, but performed important rites, such as marriages and baptisms.

Today the profession of barbering has fallen down a notch or two. Barbers are no longer regarded as sacred shamans, as they were in these ancient societies, and they don't play the role of surgeon, as they did in Europe in the Middle Ages.

But barbers still do one very important thing: they make you look good.

Barbers cut and trim hair and use chemicals and special equipment to curl, color, or straighten hair. They also give shaves, shape and trim beards and mustaches, give facial or scalp massages, identify hair or scalp problems, and recommend and sell products to treat the problems. While most of their customers are men who are attracted to their shops by the traditional blue, white and red barbershop pole out front, women too sometimes visit barbershops, especially if they wear a closely-cropped hairstyle.

In recent years, barbers have fallen on hard times. More and more men frequent big chain-hair salons, like Supercuts or The Hair Cuttery, that specialize in cutting men, women and children at low prices. Men are also more willing to try new beauty services, such as dyeing or straightening their hair, and some barbershops don't offer these things.

However, like other trends, this one could change. As in the popular 2002 movie "Barbershop," barbershops are still often times a neighborhood meeting place, where men, (and women) can hobnob, chat, and catch up on community news and gossip. In fact, recently, a new group of barbershops have sprung up that are billed as "a poor man's social club for Generation X." These shops offer wine and beer and a rock n' roll ambiance and are clearly geared toward a younger clientele that disdains the frou-frou air of many chic hair salons as well as the anonymous cookie-cutter atmosphere of popular chain salons like Supercuts. They have been a big success and may actually revive the barbershop culture in the United States.

And barbers are in short supply. Many states have abolished the old barbering and cosmetology licenses in favor of a single license covering both barbers and cosmetologists. That means that prospective male barbers are also required to go to cosmetology school, where they learn how to do nails and give facials. Many men can't stomach the thought and drop out. As a consequence, barbers have watched their ranks fall from about 70,900 nationally in 1997 to only about 54,000 in 2001.