Buzzcutfan
Ava and John had been camping and hiking in Joshua Tree for several days when they decided to venture into town in search of a hair salon. They wandered around until they stumbled upon a barbershop. As Ava walked in, she noticed that the other patrons were mainly military personnel.
She invited herself to the chair and asked for a light trim. Wendy, the barber, placed a cape around Ava’s neck, brushed her hair out, and started with a long bob. As the cut progressed, Ava began to feel uneasy. She asked Wendy to stop cutting, but Wendy grew frustrated and continued to cut shorter and shorter until Ava was left with a crewcut. She then proceeded to buzz Ava’s hair with a number two guard and left short stubble on top. Wendy laughed and commented that Ava now looked like a real “jarhead.”
Ava sobbed as she looked at herself in the mirror. Wendy ignored her pleas and lathered shaving cream on the back and sides of her head. She used a razor to scrape away any sign of hair and then used the razor to line up Ava’s super short bangs. The contrast between Ava’s tanned skin and the pale white back and sides of her head was stark.
Ava left the barbershop feeling humiliated and devastated. She went to buy a hat to cover her nearly bald head from the sun. That night, in the privacy of their tent, John rubbed her head and they kissed and hugged naked.
Two weeks later, Ava found herself back at the same barbershop. This time, she asked Wendy to just trim and blend the sides. However, Wendy repeated the same process, giving Ava a regulation high and tight with razor-shaved sides and back.
As Wendy finished the cut, she laughed and said, “That’ll be 12 dollars. You now look like a real jarhead.” The male patrons in the shop laughed along with her.
Ava left the barbershop with tears in her eyes, feeling violated and defeated. She realized that this was not just a haircut, but a stripping of her identity and femininity.
