Painting by Vikki NorthWhen a woman sets in a beauty shop chair, she expects a miracle and usually gets one. Generations of women have brought their daughters to this place to begin a ritual defining a coming of age, a passage or beginning into womanhood. From the young lady's first visit on, she will learn how to care for her hair, her skin and her nails (toe nails and finger nails). She will learn by listening and looking at magazines of hair styles, and fashion. She will learn beauty shop talk about girlie things. She will learn unnecessary things about movie actors and actresses. She will come into the shop with great expectations. Each visit she will receive a most glorious procedure of hair washing, done by expert hairdressers trained in this art. Magical hands will place her in an hypnotic state, lasting five minutes or more. Scissors, blow dryers, curling irons, hot rollers, perms, up-dos, hair spray, gels, frosting, highlighting, acrylic nails, and hair dye are all words she will hear. Most of these words will become familiar to her and be used by her at some point in her life...hair dye in the later years or her mature years. She may even hear words like Botox, see "big lipped women" and girls with purple hair. Yesterday, was my day for beauty shop glamour. I was not disappointed and came away feeling happy, feeling much prettier. I was pleased with the girlie talk, the hypnotic hair washing, the sounds of scissors and my my new hair style. I went there expecting a miracle and got one.
