The beginning of something new...

As I sit down to write this first blog post I have a sense of gratitude and excitement. I have always been very passionate about being a hairdresser and studying psychology, which is why I am incredibly excited to be continuing my education in a double major of Psychology and Sociology this spring at the University of Utah. My decision to go back to school was very difficult, I told myself that if I was to continue my schooling I would have to somehow find a way to bridge my current hair styling career into psychology.

​Then it hit me!

Over the summer I read an amazing book by Robert Levine called The Geography of Time, the author is a social psychologist who explores time, what does time look like in different areas around the world? What is our perception of time? What is the history of the clock? (If you have not read this book I highly recommend it) I finished reading this book a couple weeks ago, around the same time is when I finally decided to go back to school, but I still didn’t know how to bridge hair and psychology. Then the answer magically appeared one afternoon.

The Geography of Hair!

Being in the world of opera I have done extensive research on hair and makeup trends in diverse cultures and in different time periods. As a stylist in the salon I hear all sorts of experiences and stories about people’s hair; regarding pricing, trends in different countries, best haircuts, worst haircuts, and what people feel is beautiful or fashionable. As a student of psychology and sociology I want to incorporate academic research and case studies to this dialogue (In a world full of “fake news” it’s nice to have research to add to my spout of subjective opinions).

Here is purpose of this blog, or rather my mission statement: The Geography of Hair is devoted to share experiences and stories in cosmetology and how it has affected me, people individually, or us as a society.

Hair is fascinating, it can make us feel incredibly sexy, attractive, and confident, or it can make us feel self-conscious, ugly, or insecure. (I’m sure we have all had at least one terrible hair experience that made us feel awful!)
Some people are only willing to spend $10 on a haircut at Great Clips, while others are willing to spend $100 on a haircut because (insert famous hairdresser’s name here) is cutting their hair. Women in different countries are cutting off feet of hair to donate to a temple for religious beliefs, then the temples sell the hair for a profit. Women are cutting their hair off because of domestic and spousal abuse. Successful television shows like Game of Thrones created the hottest men’s hair trends like man buns and male perms.
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So, let me begin by thanking you for joining me on this journey, as we explore these topics and many more. Welcome to The Geography of Hair, a journey into the psychology of hair.
 
DJH