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.
Given the stereotype that barbers are predominantly male, it may be harder for girls to get the same respect men get in barbering. Miss Gwen explained in an interview with Channel NewsAsia 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).
Mr Derrick Tan, one of the co-founders of another barbershop, Sultans of Shave, admitted that such a prejudice is common as he has encountered clients with the preconceived notion that all barber shops should be run by men. 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.
But that has not deterred some female hairdressers from picking up the blade. 25-year-old Catherine Loo was a hairdresser for seven years before switching to barbering at Sultan of Shave three months ago.
“Giving a male haircut in a salon is very different from giving one in a barbershop. There is the use of straight razors in barbershops, hence the haircut is always neater and sleeker,” said Ms Loo.
Contrary to popular belief, barbering was never an all-male profession - women like 59-year-old Mdm Catherine Lee have been grooming men for a living even before the eighties. Mdm Lee has been in the profession for 37 years and has mastered the trade of cutting, shaving, and ear wax removal. She stuck to this business for more than three decades simply because cutting men’s hair is simple - as a woman herself, she understands how fussy females can be. It’s certainly not unusual to see some women break down into a teary mess after a “bad” haircut.
With a new wave of modern barber establishments in Singapore, barbering is no longer facing a cutting rejection. If you ever step into a barbershop, you might be able to spot some barberettes among the barbers too.
Photo/Video: Goh Chiew Tong, Channel NewsAsia
Done reading? Sit back, relax and watch Coconuts TV:
brightcove.createExperiences();
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.
Given the stereotype that barbers are predominantly male, it may be harder for girls to get the same respect men get in barbering. Miss Gwen explained in an interview with Channel NewsAsia 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).
Mr Derrick Tan, one of the co-founders of another barbershop, Sultans of Shave, admitted that such a prejudice is common as he has encountered clients with the preconceived notion that all barber shops should be run by men. 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.
But that has not deterred some female hairdressers from picking up the blade. 25-year-old Catherine Loo was a hairdresser for seven years before switching to barbering at Sultan of Shave three months ago.
“Giving a male haircut in a salon is very different from giving one in a barbershop. There is the use of straight razors in barbershops, hence the haircut is always neater and sleeker,” said Ms Loo.
Contrary to popular belief, barbering was never an all-male profession - women like 59-year-old Mdm Catherine Lee have been grooming men for a living even before the eighties. Mdm Lee has been in the profession for 37 years and has mastered the trade of cutting, shaving, and ear wax removal. She stuck to this business for more than three decades simply because cutting men’s hair is simple - as a woman herself, she understands how fussy females can be. It’s certainly not unusual to see some women break down into a teary mess after a “bad” haircut.
With a new wave of modern barber establishments in Singapore, barbering is no longer facing a cutting rejection. If you ever step into a barbershop, you might be able to spot some barberettes among the barbers too.
Photo/Video: Goh Chiew Tong, Channel NewsAsia
Done reading? Sit back, relax and watch Coconuts TV:
brightcove.createExperiences();