Thursday, May 26, 2005

Movement

Since Wednesdays are half days at school, I usually don't plan much in the morning because I have to prepare sandwiches and other stuff for our picnic at the Jardin D'Acclimatation before golf.

But... do you ever have a bad hair day and say to yourself.... ca suffit! I must get this hair cut now. Well, I decided that yesterday morning. I had an hour to spare in the morning, so why not? I get to my hair salon, Jean Claude Biguine (wow -- 9 stores in the US!), at 9:10am and wait for them to open the doors at 9:30am. I've done this before and seen the French women wait right at the door until someone comes to open up the store -- before the official opening hours. So at 9:25am I alone am let in to the salon. I can't believe my luck; I'll be out of here by 10:15am!

The woman asks me what I want and I tell her I like my hair longer and would just like a small cut (not knowing the word for trim). She says fine while washing my hair. She brings me to the chair to get my haircut and says, with great fanfare something like allee, on commence/ come on, let's start. Her first cut takes off about 4 inches from my hair. Clearly, she didn't understand what I wanted. She cuts my hair and is finished by 10am. She says that it's quite a change (and it really is!) and that's when I remember that in the beginning conversation she asked if I'd like a change and I must have nodded because deep down I wonder if someone will do something magical to my hair just like those amazing makeover shows on US TV now.

The hair stylist is so proud of her work, she'd like to do more. There is no other customer in the store. This has never happened before in the 5 years I've been going to this place, but I've never gone on a Wednesday morning. So she asks if I'd be willing to get my hair colored (which I do every few months) and highlighted to show off the movement of the new cut. I find it so hard to refuse these kind of requests...

So I go over to the woman who does the color, who I've used before, and she colors my hair and then starts to look over my hair to determine where the movement is supposed to be. She asks me if I think she should call the stylist over (clearly the colorist's superior) and I wholeheartedly nod. This is important stuff figuring out the movement and I certainly don't know where it is located! So the stylist comes over and parts my hair this way and that and then starts pointing her finger where the highlights should be placed.

Not since I came in second place in the middle school "best hair category" (after Vanessa Cabrera) has my hair gotten so much attention and I it was fun. After the color and highlights were complete I was getting my hair washed next to someone waiting to get their hair cut. The stylist came over and said, I must take this woman first (me!) and then I will help you. I think I became this woman's pet project. She blow dried my hair (unlike the US, this is a big deal in France and this part of the process alone can cost more than what I paid in the US for a wash, cut, and dry) carefully pointing out how to show off my movement and that I should not brush my bangs to the side because that is a "too classic" look (for me??).

I did like the cut and color when the whole process was through, but what really got me was the fact that I got compliments on my hair from a few friends. Even a French father of one of my daughter's friends asked me if I'd gotten my hair done because it looked nice. I almost choked on the food I was eating because it almost seemed to personal coming from a French man.

Anyway.... I'm afraid I didn't capture the real movement of my hair, but I thought I'd try anyway. Sammy, I was thinking of you when I took this picture!


-- said Auntie M in Paris
9:28 PM

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