How I got my flattop by Snagg

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When I arrived at the outdoor gym there was only one other person there, a muscular guy in a tank top and a very short flattop, the sides and back of his head completely shaved and a nice smooth landing strip at the top.
"Not much going on here today," he said.
He obviously wanted to make some small talk, which gave me a chance to get a close look at his flattop. It was exactly the kind of flattop I would love to have. But I worked as a lecturer at the university and none of my colleagues had extremely short hair. All the men, including me, had average short hairstyles, with hair a little shorter on the sides and back and a little longer on the top. Exactly the hairstyle you choose if you don’t want to offend. I was worried that a flattop might be considered scandalous.
"You like my hairstyle, don’t you?"
Oops. Was it that obvious?
"I can give you the address of my barbershop. They cut flattops and crew cuts non-stop there."
I found the barbershop on Google Maps and marked it. I thanked the guy and started my workout.

After a few weeks of looking at photos on the barbershop’s website, I booked an appointment online for the next day. Not to get a badass flattop, but a not-too-short version of a crew cut.
When I entered the shop, the guy from the outdoor gym happened to be there too. He had just finished being trimmed and rose from the chair.
"Hi dude, is today the big day?" he asked.
"Big day?" asked the young bald barber standing next to him.
"This man wants a flattop just like mine," explained the guy from the outdoor gym.
He patted me on the shoulder.
"You won’t regret it, dude!"
Then he went to the cash register to pay.
The barber, who introduced himself as Louis, instructed me to sit in the barber’s chair. He tied a cape around me and said: "Then let’s get started."
He didn’t think it was necessary to ask me how I wanted my hair cut. Everything was already clear to him.
He took a large comb in one hand and a pair of clippers in the other.
"Have you wanted a flattop for a long time?" he asked.
Now it would have been time to say that it was all a misunderstanding and that I actually wanted a moderate crew cut. But I just answered his question.
"Yes."
Louis ran the comb through my hair on the top, held up a row of hair and ran the clippers over the comb. My bangs, which had reached just above my eyebrows, fell past my eyes and onto the cape. Little by little, Louis worked his way back. More and more hair fell from my head.
Then he placed the clippers a few inches behind my hairline and shaved a wide strip right down the middle of my crown. He then shaved away the hair on the sides and back. Then he worked on the remaining hair on top again and cut off a little more.
"What should happen to your beard?" he asked.
"What would you recommend?"
"There are many guys who wear a beard with a flattop, but in my opinion a beard doesn’t go with such an extreme flattop."
Without waiting for another reaction from me, he placed the clippers next to my ears and shaved off my five centimeter long beard.
He then lathered my face and most of my head with shaving cream. Everything but the horseshoe-shaped ring of hair on the top was shaved clean.
Finally, Louis adjusted the horseshoe one last time and then the haircut was finished.
"It’s best to come by once a week for a trim. So that the cut stays fresh," said Louis. "Assuming you like the hairstyle and want to keep it."
I stroked my shaved head.
"I definitely want to keep it," I said. "It looks a lot hotter than I imagined. I’m just a little worried about what the reaction will be at my workplace."
"F*** the reaction!" said Louis. "You look cool. Besides, it’s your hair. If you like your flattop, don’t let anyone take away your joy."

When I came to university the next day, my colleagues didn’t react at all. They simply ignored my new look. However, those who responded were some students. They thought it was brave to have such a short haircut.
"If you as a lecturer now have a flattop," said one student, "then I’ll finally have the courage to have a mohawk shaved."

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