New reports show that after more than a year of DIY haircuts and botched at-home dye jobs, people are flocking to salons only to be disappointed that the hairdresser can’t do it like the screenshot.
We sat down with local hairdressers about the new pressures Instagram and Pinterest screenshots are bringing to their profession.
“I think of screenshots like a vision board,” says Sage, a veteran hairdresser. “Like, it would be really nice to have this, but let’s get real – it’s not happening for you, pal.”
To get more insight we followed Stephanie Oh, a 28-year-old software engineer, as she journeyed to get a fresh new haircut.
“I want a curly mullet!,” said Stephanie. “I found a really cute reference pic on Pinterest. I hope it looks just like the girl in the picture.”
Brooklyn based hairdresser, Cory, took one look at the Pinterest screenshot and said, “Yeah, I can try to do that.”
“I find it easier to just attempt the haircut than explain that the model in the reference photo has a completely different hair texture and has been professionally styled,” Cory says. “That’s not my job.”
“I can’t take the pressure of it anymore,” says another New York hairdresser, Rocky. “Everyone shows me a tiny screenshot on their little phones for like three seconds and then I’m the bad guy because I can’t do it like the screenshot.”
We shared the findings of our report with Stephanie after she got her “curly mullet”, but she didn’t respond well.
“What the fuck, why didn’t you guys say anything? You knew I wasn’t going to get a curly mullet like in the picture?” she said. “Now I have bangs and a rattail. I never wanted a rat tail, I’m not a rat tail girl.”
“I’m aware it does not look like the screenshot,” said Rocky, when contacted about the haircut. “I am a humble servant with scissors all I can do is try my best.”
Witnesses agreed that there are some things that cosmetology school just can’t prepare you for.
