Styling Masculinity

Gender, Class, and Inequality in the Men's Grooming Industry

By Kristen Barber

Rutgers University Press

The twenty-first century has seen the emergence of a new style of man: the metrosexual. Overwhelmingly straight, white, and wealthy, these impeccably coiffed urban professionals spend big money on everything from facials to pedicures, all part of a multi-billion-dollar male grooming industry. Yet as this innovative study reveals, even as the industry encourages men to invest more in their appearance, it still relies on women to do much of the work.

Styling Masculinity investigates how men’s beauty salons have persuaded their clientele to regard them as masculine spaces. To answer this question, sociologist Kristen Barber goes inside Adonis and The Executive, two upscale men’s salons in Southern California. Conducting detailed observations and extensive interviews with both customers and employees, she shows how female salon workers not only perform the physical labor of snipping, tweezing, waxing, and exfoliating, but also perform the emotional labor of pampering their clients and pumping up their masculine egos.

Letting salon employees tell their own stories, Barber not only documents occasions when these workers are objectified and demeaned, but also explores how their jobs allow for creativity and confer a degree of professional dignity. In the process, she traces the vast network of economic and social relations that undergird the burgeoning male beauty industry.

A deep examination of the rise of male beauty culture. The New York Times

Though the grooming work and shop floor are evocative, Barber's attention moves beyond hair to the social exchanges that take place … bringing together emotional labor, aesthetic labor, and physical labor, all the while highlighting the role of sexuality. Gender & Society

A well-researched contribution to the sociology of work, gender studies, and consumer culture … Highly recommended. Choice

Barber's book innovatively combines theories of work, gender, and culture. It makes a significant contribution to masculinities research. Anyone teaching or conducting research on gender, social class, qualitative methods, work, inequalities, and culture will find this book to be compelling. It is nuanced and rich in detail. Men & Masculinities

What does it mean that contemporary men are going to salons, getting their nails done, or dyeing their hair? Kristen Barber examines how these practices are intimately related to shifting definitions of masculinity, and actually buttress gender, race, and class inequalities. A compelling and colorful read. C.J. Pascoe, author of Dude, You're a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School

Barber provides excellent insight into how women groom men while upholding their gender and class identities, and how masculinity and beauty are not at odds with each other. Truly a pleasure. Jamie Mullaney, author of Paid to Party: Working Time and Emotion in Direct Home Sales

How it became OK for guys to take care of themselves: an interview with Kristen Barber [http://goo.gl/o3qExa] NPR's Marketplace

Why barbershops are disappearing: And what it means that some still thrive by Kristen Barber [http://goo.gl/mN4nWW] The Houston Chronicle

The End of the Barbershop?: An Interview with Kristen Barber [goo.gl/CgX0Zv] Word of Mouth, New Hampshire Public Radio

Barber’s book innovatively combines theories of work, gender, and culture. It makes a significant contribution to masculinities research. Anyone teaching or conducting research on gender, social class, qualitative methods, work, inequalities, and culture will find this book to be compelling. It is nuanced and rich in detail Patti Giuffre, SAGE Pub

What’s the Deal With That Guy’s Fluffy Hair? by Thomas Vinciguerra New York Times

New barbershops cash in on male grooming trend' interview with Kristen Barber Marketplace

How the ‘Wife Beater’ Tank Top Became A Marker of Class, Ethnicity and Domestic Abuse' by C. Brain Smith Mel Magazine

A well-researched book. Journal of American Culture

Why So Many Men Chase Skirts, But Won't Wear Them' by Nora Whelan Playboy

A salon of his own: Men don't play second fiddle here,' by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, LoHud.com

A salon of his own: More than just manscaping,' by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy USA Today

A Short History of Manly Beauty Products for Masculine Men,' by Hazel Cills
https://jezebel.com/a-short-history-of-manly-beauty-products-for-masculine-1834956610 Jezebel

A cut above: Traditional barbershops are back,' by Dave McGinn
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/article-a-cut-above-traditional-barbershops-are-back/ Globe and Mail

WHAT EXPENSIVE MEN’S HAIRCUTS ARE REALLY SELLING YOU' by Quinn Myers
https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/expensive-mens-haircut-worth-it Mel Magazine

Masculinity During A Pandemic: How Haircuts And Face Masks Got Political' an interview with Kristen Barber
https://www.wortfm.org/masculinity-during-a-pandemic-how-haircuts-and-face-masks-got-political/ "A Public Affair," WORT

KRISTEN BARBER is an assistant professor of sociology and a faculty affiliate in the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program at Southern Illinois University–Carbondale.

Contents

Preface

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1 Men and Beauty: The Historical Expansion of an Industry

2 Rocks Glasses and Color Camo: Selling Beauty to Class-Privileged Men

3 Heterosexual Aesthetic Labor: Hiring and Requiring Women Beauty Workers

4 Hair Care: Emotional Labor and Touching Rules in Men’s Grooming

5 “We’re Men’s Women”: Occupational Choice Narratives of Sameness and Difference

Conclusion

Appendix A. Class, Gender, and the Economy in the Study of Men’s Salons

Appendix B. Participant Demographic Information