"Definitions of beauty are handed down, like stories and myths, absorbed as expressions of a specific time and place. Beauty shops of that era predated use of the word salon, and there were definitely no male hairdressers."
"Girls need sanctums. It's probably no accident that a few of the girl characters in my fiction are 11-, 12-, 13-years-old - about the same age I was when my mother began taking me along to her weekly hair appointments."
"I was invisible there, privy to conversations not usually conducted in my hearing. Lulled by the sounds of the machines, I feasted on trash magazines my mother would never have allowed me to peruse."
Childhood visits to a beauty shop in rural West Virginia influenced perceptions of beauty and femininity. These shops were women-only spaces where girls observed adult conversations and societal norms. The author reflects on the significance of these sanctuaries, where women shared personal stories and engaged in gossip. The beauty shop served as a backdrop for understanding beauty, identity, and the complexities of womanhood, highlighting the importance of such spaces in shaping young girls' experiences and perspectives.
Read at Harvard Gazette
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