Finding Friendship in a Barbershop

In what ways does beauty show up in our friendships? How do barbershops act as spaces for emotional support for men? And what does line dancing and kitsch have to do with self-love and community?

In this episode of This Is Not a Beauty Podcast, Isabella Rossellini presents three stories that show the ways in which beauty shows up in our relationships, around the world.

First, we travel to Hamburg, New York — yes, legend names it the home of the original hamburger — where one barbershop has become much more about trimming beards. “The tide has turned and people are not socializing the way that they used to,” says Jay, barber and founder of Jay’s Barber Shop. “And in an old -timey barbershop, it was the culture where you would go in, you'd read a newspaper, you'd catch up with the boys, you know, there'd be some, you know, good banter going on. I like the idea of having a space where people get to know each other.”

Next, we hop over the pond to Finsbury Park in North London, where one Marie Josee opened a braiding salon 36 years ago after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo as a refugee. The salon has since become a support center for those newly arrived in London, and Marie Josee herself has become widely known; popular Congolese songs mention her salon by name, and she has been tapped by Hollywood to create wigs for blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park and Wicked, for which she had to create Elphaba’s wig for Cynthia Erivo in just three days.

Finally, we learn about the explosion of line dancing — a folk dance originating in the southern United States — and one Australian group in particular that has adopted it to create a space for playful identity experimentation. “There's a running joke about Melbournians only wearing black,” says Kitty, Disco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s co-founder. “And for me personally, I always felt like I was fighting that urge and always sort of trying to wrangle myself in that respect and that kind of kitschness and that fun and that color. So it's just been really nice to be able to live it, really.”

Links below:

• Jays Barber Shop Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Jays-Barbershop/61565204863317/
• “Weaving a Wicked Community — refugees find safe haven in London braiding salon” https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/stories/weaving-wicked-community-refugees-find-safe-haven-london-braiding-salon
• “Wicked: Meet the London Braider Behind Elphaba’s Wig” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c2ld25d1ek1o
• “Line Dancing Toward Euphoria” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/style/stud-country-line-dancing-two-step-class.html
• Peppe Barra’s “Tarantella Maliziosa” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faji0GKCq7A
• The Italian Tarantella [Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POXYWLcvYI
• Disco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/disco_rodeo_/
• Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

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