Yesterday I had the worst experience I’ve ever had at a barber shop in my life. Yesterday my nana text me:

She had been walking in the mall and saw a very nice barber shop. It was a black owned barber shop and she wanted do so something nice for me. I have a short natural hairstyle. she figured a barber shop could be able to give me a nice experience.. slap some conditioner on me, was my afro and shape it. I had some Skype interviews overseas and my nana wanted me to look right🤷🏾‍♀️ so I was excited I worked all day. Bragged to my friends online I was getting a hair cut. I got there and it was wonderful. There were 3 barbers there all cutting hair elaborately. The razor work alone I saw excited. I started to have visions of a side part in my fro and everything 😍

My nana spoke to the barber who appeared to be the owner. He acted as if he has every intention to “take care of what you want, shampoos condition, shape up” so I was stoked. I looked around and felt like I was in the movie barber shop.

There was music, happiness, bonding. My nana took the girls to get food because the girls were getting antsy. I was alone. I started noticing the barbers were slowing down and taking their time on haircuts. I thought nothing of it, because the cuts were elaborate. The next barber to come out was young and white.. I didn’t immediately judge because in barbershop the white dude could use hair .

So I start texting my nana on the sly because the barber in the front made a comment like “oh you not getting the works like your mom wanted” I replied “no. I’m not I’m just going to get shaped up” the barber was over my shoulder and I didn’t want to make him feel bad. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt till he didn’t know how to pick out my hair… his hands were shaking and I was noticing the barbers in the front (they had two sections a very nice section where the main barbers were cutting and then they had me and they new guy in this crusty back area that looks like it may be a bar some day who knows 🤷🏾‍♀️) anyway I text my nana

As I’m texting and finishing my haircut I go back to the front and I notice the barber to the left eye in the guy who cut my hair and high five him and start laughing. This wasn’t barber shop it was MEAN GIRLS!

These grown men, where mocking and laughing at me and my hair. I felt so small and humiliated. All the had to do was tell my nana that they didn’t offer those services I would have respected that but to humiliate me. I felt pig blood Carrie.

It took me back to moment I experienced that made me hate men specifically black men. This was a black barber shop. I’m sure they knew how to shape an Afro. Yet these grown men felt the need to pawn me off to an inexperienced barber, have him touch my hair etc for $20 and laugh. I felt small. I felt inhuman. I cried myself to sleep. One thing I hate is being laughed. To have a room 7 grown men chuckling because they made a joke of you needing a haircut in a barbershop is just mortifying. I quickly paid and left. My nana went back to address them (against my wishes because I was over it, I was already mortified and didn’t want to make it worse I just wanted it to be over) it was the worst experience I’ve ever had. I’m gonna do yelp review. Like I’ve never even had that kind of thought in my life but I was just shocked that business owners would behave that way. Why not just say “no.” I just asked for a haircut at the barbershop not be the butt of their jokes. It was awful I’m back to wearing wraps

I’m going to find a female barber and keep it pushing. This was the worst learning experience of my life.