I don't care if I lose my job, I want my facial!
2 comments
I was surfing the New York Times website and I noticed that they had a guest blogger write about "what women want." My immediate thought was "uh oh." I clicked on the link and learned that my "uh oh" was right.According to Bonnie Fuller (I should've known this would be bad when I saw she used to be editor in chief of Cosmopolitan), women want their facials. We want our spas. We want our botox. In Fuller's eyes, the economic crisis may be put our jobs in jeopardy, but dammit, we're going to look good! Because "the need to look good trumps the bank account."
In all fairness, she's specifically talking about New York City women, who admittedly are often concerned about image, but when I saw an article on "what women want," I had hoped it would paint women to be a little more than superficial snobs.
Recession be damned: the relationship between a woman and her hairstylist and colorist continues to be as tight as the one with her broker. "We were packed like a railway station last Saturday," says John Barrett, owner of the John Barrett Salon, where haircuts and color treatments cost up to $500 a pop. While Barrett has heard rumors that some retailers are experiencing heavy returns on clothing, he believes women feel they need to look pretty even as the world is going to hell in a handbasket.
According to Edward Tricomi, a co-owner of the Warren-Tricomi Salon, women will let their homes get shabby before they let their hair go: "If you're a professional businesswoman, you can't go to a meeting with your roots hanging out!"
Oh no, God forbid we have to be judged on anything aside from our hair! You know, like our intelligence, our skills, our capability. Visible roots trump all of those.
So far, the comments are less than favorable. It seems to me like Times readers are too smart for this crap.
Posts
October 16, 2008 at 12:20 PM
I hate when people encourage the stereotype that woman are vapid and self-centered and spendspendspend, but only on things that don't really matter.
And speaking as a woman from Brooklyn, I've never had a facial, a mani/pedi or worn make up in my whole life. And I cute my own hair! Or I'll find a place to do it for under $20.
It's fine that some women are into that stuff, but I know MOST of them are smart enough to get their priorities straight! "Hmm...pay my rent, get a facial? Buy food, get a facial?"
*grr*
October 17, 2008 at 2:12 PM
This is part of the reason why I refuse to wear makeup, color my hair, or pay more than $20 for a haircut (I usually cut my own). I want people to take me seriously as I am, at face-value, without hair dye and mascara. I also don't have to be inconvenienced by "going without" cosmetic stuff during an economic downturn, because I never "went with" to begin with! When there's nothing to lose, you don't feel bad.
Plus, my life is WAY easier without having to get up early to do makeup, or make sure my highlights are touched up on a regular basis.