I'm reading "Why Are More Men Getting Perms? The modern male perm is softer, more natural and has taken off, thanks to K-pop and TikTok" (NYT).
TikTok is very powerful. Videos don't just get views. They garner them.
[T]he “Korean perm” is... subtle. It’s almost unnoticeable so as to appear natural.... Its top curls are tender and loose....
“We’re in a moment, in the United States at least, where younger generations are very critical of something like toxic masculinity,” said [S. Heijin Lee, a professor of women, gender and sexuality studies]. The hairdos of beloved K-pop boy band members and lead actors from Korean dramas offer an alternative, she said....
Back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, major American news outlets and talk show hosts zeroed in on Korean people wanting plastic surgery to “look white,” Dr. Lee said (for example, some Americans obsessed over Asians’ undergoing double-eyelid surgery).“Fast forward to the current moment, where we see all of these trends toward ‘looking Korean,’” she continued....
What is it about curly hair that's less (toxically) masculine? Just that it is understood to look like "boys" in a boy band?
If these permanents are understood as efforts to look Korean, are they not inappropriate for nonKoreans? And if Koreans are changing their natural hair from straight to slightly curly, aren't they still subject to the old criticism that they're trying to "look white"? Or is that just the way American TV people talked in the 1990s and early 2000?
Really, what are the ethics of hair texture these days?
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"We’re in a moment, in the United States at least, where younger generations are very critical of something like toxic masculinity."
So the solution is to have them be ok obsessing about their hair like girls do. Boy what a maroon we've all been! The solution to troublesome boys is to make them into less troublesome girls...how could we have been so misguided!
Wait a minute - those are men?
I'll get a perm when Jim Garner does.
. . . . . I suppose. But Althouse, wouldn't you just rather have men wear shorts?
Korean men get perms as a way to stand out. Most Koreans have the same type of black hair.
"They took his head and turned it inside out
He never did know what it was all about"
It's not about texture, it's about effort. A High and Tight is fast to barber and free from bedhead. A perm is over an hour in the salon chair every six weeks and requires daily upkeep and pampering. Traditionally men have things to do that are more important than hair maintenance, like shooting the enemy. If a man is striving to avoid toxic masculinity, he wouldn't want to include a warfare-friendly look in his daily regimen.
Diverse social standards.
Diversity (i.e. color judgment, class-based bigotry) is Inequity, Exclusion (e.g. racism).
That said, diversity of individuals, minority of one from conception.
I remember a lot of man perms in the 70s. They didn’t work then.
"It's not about texture, it's about effort. A High and Tight is fast to barber and free from bedhead. A perm is over an hour in the salon chair every six weeks and requires daily upkeep and pampering."
The article talks about how this particular type of perm causes the hair to be easier to take care of and that the "bedhead" state is desirable:
"A perm is low maintenance. I wake up, and my hair is done. I already have volume. I already have texture. I already have curls."
We're told it lasts up to 6 *months.*
"Traditionally men have things to do that are more important than hair maintenance, like shooting the enemy. If a man is striving to avoid toxic masculinity, he wouldn't want to include a warfare-friendly look in his daily regimen."
I certainly remember how I felt when I was a young woman. A man with long curly hair seemed (on first impression) to be kind and lovable and a man with a military haircut seemed brutal and uninteresting.
a simple matter
shave and a haircut two bits
NOT with big tits
How do we know those are men getting the perms?
Maybe they have female brains?
"Really, what are the ethics of hair texture these days? "
As always, look to Minnesota:
Minnesota has now joined at least 19 other states in enacting a CROWN Act, which stands for “Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair.” The Act, which in Minnesota has come in the form of brief but important amendments to the Minnesota Human Rights Act (MHRA), protects individuals from discrimination due to their natural hair.
The Minnesota CROWN Act amends the MHRA to define “race” as including “traits associated with race, including but not limited to hair texture and hair styles such as braids, locs and twists.” Minnesota Statute Section 363A.03, subd. 36a. The amendment provides explicit protection from any adverse employment action (discipline, failure to promote, termination, harassment, etc.) due to an employee’s hair texture or style associated with the person’s race.
In tandem with Governor Tim Walz’s signing the CROWN Act into law, the Minnesota Department of Human Rights issued a fact sheet, “Preventing Hair Discrimination,” explaining when the law applies and providing examples of hair discrimination that would violate the CROWN Act. In the fact sheet, the Department explains that the CROWN Act prohibits hair discrimination not only in employment, but also in education, housing, and a variety of other settings—such as restaurants, banks, schools, and stores—where a person is purchasing goods or services. The Department’s examples of unlawful hair discrimination include discharging an employee for wearing hair braids, forcing a student to shave their head, or denying a person entry to a restaurant because of the way they braid or twist their hair.
With the CROWN Act now law in Minnesota, employers should review their policies to ensure they are broad enough to prohibit discrimination based on traits associated with race. Employers should also train their managers and human resources staff on these policies.
"How do we know those are men getting the perms?"
Does he or doesn't he? Only his hairdresser knows for sure.
My uncle, rip, got a perm back in the 80's. But it was super small curls, almost like an afro. We all thought it was hilarious. And this was in good ole boy Texas. But in the South, some men are inclined to this sort of behavior. Being a dandy as it were. Think Ashley Shafer from Shafer BMW.
Back when my hair was thick, it was also (to quote Frieda) Naturally Curly. Perms were for people trying to get my (former) ringlets. I miss them.
Althouse, TikTok s made for people like you ... if you know what I mean.
Max Headroom, for one.
The 1980s called and want their hairstyles back.
High and tight. If a barber needs scissors, it's a disappointment, though we go to a Barber School, so some leeway is always granted. Been that way since my post army punk phase in the early 80s. My hair is usually dry before I'm out of the shower.
Based on various acquaintances experiences, I absolutely do not believe that stuff about low-maintenance, lasts six months, desirable bedhead look. That's BS. That's going to cost hours per week to keep even reasonable looking, never mind stylish.
I have nothing but XLNT things to say about K-pop.
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