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PaperclipPerfector  1d ago (text post)   1686 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for September 20, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

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So is there something to be said about barber shops of all places? The Wikipedia article on the social phenomenon known as the third place has featured a photo of a barber shop in Brazil as one illustration for a long time as a reflection of the simple fact that barber shops are among the evident third places for men. These are a subject we have discussed here multiple times as there seems to be broad consensus (outside of this forum as well) that they (i.e. third places for [single] men) are mostly dead by now. Broadly speaking there appears to be two opposing narratives on this; one is that these places are dead because men (and adults in general) no longer want them and no longer think they need them, the other is that adults would actually prefer to visit them but they're dead anyway, and they died off because adults in the past bought into the illusion that these are no longer necessary and now it's impossible to resurrect them.

After visiting the Wikipedia page above I went on to ask myself multiple questions. Who goes to the barber shop anymore? As far as I can tell, barber shops are still around, but only in dense urban core areas. Do they exist in the suburbs and exurbs where walkable neighborhoods do not exist? I guess not. Is it that a growing proportion of men are single and many of them let themselves go to such an extent that they don't bother going to the barber? Are married men reluctant or unable to visit the existing barber shops?

I walked into a barber shop in Pittsburgh once. I was the only non-black person. There was a group there just hanging out. They paused their conversation for like 3 minutes after I sat down and then got back to it.

The levels of shooting the shit they were doing was unmatched. I wish I could say more but I ... didn't even understand what they were talking about(??)

All of the other times I've been to a barber shop I only end up talking to the barber, they're usually pretty empty.

I tried wandering into the barber shop by my house and they asked me to make an appointment. Like what. An appointment for a place with a barber pole outside? Wack.

Afaik black hair cuts tend to require more maintenance so it wouldn't shock me if that's a contributor to the creation of a third place.

I go to the hairdresser two or three times a year. If I was trying to maintain a fade or an elaborate beard I'd be in once or twice a month, and also probably a certain social contagion effect where I'd be more likely to go with a friend if it were that frequent and be substantially pickier with my barber

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