Simon's Haircut Adventures (1) by Snagg

---

From Boy to Man

Simon was lying on the bed in his student dormitory room, surrounded by a stack of moving boxes. His parents had just set off on their journey back to their hometown, and it was time to tackle what he had planned for a long time.

He opened Google Maps and typed something into the search box: "barbershop."

A new chapter in his life was beginning, and Simon had decided to change his appearance. He no longer wanted to look like a schoolboy, but like a man.

The nearest barbershop was 1.2 km away and was called CLEAN CUT. A clean cut â€" that's exactly what I long for, thought Simon, and he left the room. He walked through the empty dormitory. Lectures didn't start until next week and most of the students weren't there yet.

He moved through the streets, relatively quickly, but without rushing. And when he arrived at the barbershop, he made sure not to hesitate before entering. He pushed open the door and met Tony, his barber. Tony was about ten years older than him, half a head shorter and bald by choice. He had a full dark beard and tattoos on his forearms.
Pretty cool guy, Simon thought. Not like that old small-town barber his father used to visit.

Simon was the only customer, and Tony asked him to take a seat in one of the barber chairs right away.
"Are you new in town?" Tony asked as he put a cape around Simon.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Well, it's that time of year when many new students arrive and I get lots of new customers."
"So far, I seem to be the only student in town."
"That will change in the next few days. Then it's best to book an appointment on my website in advance."

Tony stood behind Simon and they both looked into the large mirror in front of them.
"What can I do for you today?" Tony asked.
Simon cleared his throat. "I thought, new city, new life, new haircut."
"Are you thinking of a specific haircut?"
"Not really. All I know is that I want to leave the boy behind and come across more like a man."
Tony grinned. "You want to go from boy to man?"
He examined Simon's mid-length brown mop. When the haircut was fresh, it might have been described as a textured quiff, but now all structure had been lost, leaving an overgrown quiff surrounded by bushy sides.
"Well, first of all," said Tony, "I think as a man, you should be aware of what suits you and what doesn't."

Tony pulled up a stool and sat down next to Simon. "Look at your face. It's quite elongated. This means you should avoid haircuts that add height above the forehead. So that long blow-dried quiff you have isn't a good choice. It exaggerates your face's length. The same goes for your goatee. You should wear stubble instead. Or no beard at all."
"So you recommend a shorter quiff?"
Tony shook his head. "No, no quiff at all. It's better to cut it off. I recommend a minimal height on top to keep proportions balanced."
"Minimal height?"
"In other words, very short."
"How short is very short?"
"We're talking about a few millimeters."
Simon looked at Tony in surprise. "If I only have a few millimeters left on top, what will the back and sides look like?"
"Even shorter than very short. Part of it even shaved. With a razor."
"A skin fade, then?"
"Exactly. But not shaved too high â€" a higher skin fade draws the eye up and elongates the face. So I'd rather give you a lower skin fade."

Simon stared at himself in the mirror. He didn't like his messy hair. That was clear. He seemed like someone who had no structure in his life. But did he have the guts to get his hair cut that short? "That all sounds quite drastic."
Tony laughed. "Well, bro, nobody said it was easy to become a man." He nudged Simon lightly in the upper arm with his fist. "Don't stress yourself out! You don't have to go from boy to man overnight. I told you what I think would be the best look for you to shed your boyishness and radiate masculinity. But I could give you a less severe cut today. We'll leave the hair longer on top, and the back and sides won't be shaved â€" just tapered. And next time, or whenever, you might decide to have your hair cut really short."

Tony could see Simon's mind working. Then the young guy took a deep breath and said, "I don't want to go only halfway. I'm sick and tired of compromise haircuts. I want you to cut my hair really short. Now. Today. Without mercy."
"Are you sure?"
"The people I meet here in this city should get to know me right away with super short hair. No one knows me here yet. The perfect time for a radical change!"

"Then let's start shearing," said Tony, getting up from the stool. "So far, I don't know of any guy who has regretted such a decision. On the contrary. Guys who have been shorn once tend never to let their hair grow long again. Having ultra-short hair can be addictive."

Simon watched as Tony picked up a pair of clippers and attached a relatively short guard to them. "I'll buzz you down to 6 mm."

Simon looked at himself with his longer hair for the last time. Would he miss his hair? Probably not. Throughout his teenage years, he had worn his hair sometimes a little shorter, sometimes a little longer. But he hadn't felt comfortable with either style. He had felt like he was stuck in a never-ending bad hair day. That was now over. Instead of bad hair days, he would have badass hair days.

Tony put the clippers to Simon's forehead and buzzed off at least 10 cm of hair. The quiff was destroyed and landed on the cape.
"Your hair took a lot of time, didn't it?" Tony asked as he continued to run the clippers over Simon's head.
"At least fifteen minutes every morning."
"From now on, your hair won't take up any of your time at all. You can start your day right away. And no matter what the weather is like, your hair will always look perfect."

Simon saw in the mirror that more and more strands were disappearing, leaving only a layer of stubble. He noticed how much he enjoyed feeling the clippers on his head. On the one hand, there was something humiliating about being shorn, but on the other hand, it was an act of determination and strength.
"You've probably never had your hair this short before, have you?" Tony asked as he switched off the clippers.
"No, never," said Simon, stroking his skull.
"Do you like how it feels?"
"It's thrilling."
"Does it make you feel more masculine already?" Tony asked.
"Yes, definitely. Masculine and liberating."

Next, Tony used the clippers without a guard. He shaved a line that started just above Simon's ear and went around the back of his head to the other ear. Then Tony shaved off all the hair below the line.
"While I'm in the process of removing some of your hair completely, I'll also remove your goatee."
And before Simon could object, the goatee was shaved off.
"That goatee really didn't suit you at all. I'll shave you clean later. In the future, you can decide if you want to have stubble. But under no circumstances should you have a longer beard."

In the next step, Tony worked above the line with different guards to create a smooth transition to the hair on top.
"If you're ever on vacation for a long time," said Tony, "and you can't find a barber, you could just buzz all your hair to one length and you're done. But otherwise, I think a fade accentuates your face better."

Finally, Tony lathered the lower back of Simon's head and the area around the ears with foam and shaved the lathered area smooth.
Having parts of his head shaved down to the skin was a new sensation for Simon. He couldn't believe he dared to do it!
After a while, having his head buzzed and shaved might become normal for him, he thought, but today he felt insanely bold.

"Your hair is done," said Tony when the foam had been wiped off Simon's head. "But before you examine yourself from all angles, let me shave your face."

Once his face was clean-shaven, Tony removed the cape. "I hope you like the man you've become."
Simon stood up and looked intently at himself in the mirror. "Yes, I like the man I'm seeing. I like him very much."
The guy he saw in the mirror was indeed a man â€" an incredibly masculine-looking one.

Simon's idea of what his masculinity should look like had been a little vague. But now he knew exactly how he wanted to look: the way he looked now!
"Thank you for the transformation!" said Simon, smiling happily. "You obviously knew what it took to make me a man."
"In the end, it's not the haircut that matters most," said Tony, "but that you took the plunge. And by the way, the military-short hair really shows off your athletic body. From now on, people who see you will immediately feel compelled to do push-ups."
Simon laughed. "I guess people won't compliment my hair. They'll salute it!"

Simon paid and stepped out into the street. An early autumn wind blew toward him and hit his bare scalp. It felt great. He ran his hand over his stubble and the shaved parts. He was now Simon, a young man.

A week later, Simon returned to have his haircut touched up.
"You really didn't waste any time!" said Tony, pointing to Simon's right hand. There was a tattoo there â€" some kind of octopus that stretched all the way to his fingers. "It's unusual to have your first tattoo on your hand."
"I wanted it somewhere I couldn't hide it. I want people to see right away who I am."
"A tough guy with a buzz cut and tattoo?"
"A guy who dares to clearly mark where he stands. I don't want to convey this smooth, polished masculinity that says I always do everything right, aspire to some boring office job, and want to be sitting in my own house by the age of 28."
"I hope you remain my client throughout your studies. It'll be interesting to follow your journey."

To be continued...

---