I walked into the salon and told the receptionist I was there for an 11:15 appointment with Patricia. For a minute she looked at me as if she hadn't quite heard me, but then told me to take a seat. Patricia came in and whisked me off into her room, where I draped myself with a smock and took a seat in the oh-so-entertaining swirly chair. She proceeded to touch up my highlights and wrap my head in so many layers of foil that I thought I might soon be picking up radio waves. She then informed me that we needed to let the color set for about 20 minutes, and that I was free to help myself to some magazines conveniently arrayed on the nearby table.
So far so good.
Until I looked at the magazines and a wave of disappointment rushed over me. People. Cosmo. The San Antonio Woman. WTF? Suddenly I became an enraged feminist, asking myself why it is that salons assume that all women want to read about are celebrities and the best sex moves.
The answer is: social constructivism. Society creates gender. Parents give their sons legos and their daughters Barbie dolls. They let their sons play aggressively and tell their daughters to play nicely. It may be unconscious, but that doesn't mean we should ignore it. Gender--that is, masculinity and femininity--are not inherent traits. They are acquired and shaped by culture. And a widespread change in our cultural values could redefine what we consider "masculine" and "feminine."
So, with that being said, I believe salons carry strictly trashy magazines because they are one small part of a society that is enchanted with rigid gender roles. What I would love to see is a salon that also carries the New York Times, Sports Illustrated, Scientific American, National Geographic, PC Gamer, etc. It would be wonderful for a "feminine" place, such as a salon, to recognize that women are intelligent, diverse creatures, and have a multitude of interests beyond just gossip and fashion.
Ranting over.
