"Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair"

So, I never really thought about how annoying it is to be a girl. I went on my hair salon excursion, thinking, "this won't take long, I'll just check the place out and get some prices." No, of course that is NOT how it went. Every hair salon I went into, they wanted to see my hair, which was up in some disaster of a messy bun because I just wasn't in the mood to style it that day, and I had to try and find the scrunchie and rip it out of my hair (complete with strands and all). I tried to explain that I did not personally need a haircut (the stylists gave me very disapproving looks) but that I simply wanted a generic price. Here's how it went...
First, I went to a salon in Sunnyside, Queens, called "Peter's," in which a fabulous older man works and he really is very sweet and gentle when doing my hair, its my default salon on the days I do want a haircut. Anyway, I went in and inquired with the receptionist about the different prices. Peter walked over to me and immediately tried to get me to undo my terrible updo. After explaining that today was not the right day for me to get a haircut, he told me that women's cuts start at $26, but that my hair would probably be more, because as he put it, "you(I) have a lot of hair." When I asked how much it was for my hair, with a nice wash, cut and blow-dry package, he said he would do it for $35. I thought that was a fair price, it's in the range of what I'm used to paying. He told me that men's cuts were $14. I was waiting for the conditions of this, but there were none. $14, no more, no less. Really? Doesn't he care if they want some difficult style? Does it make a difference? I found out that it really doesn't. Apparently a men's cut is simple and cheap. Well, that sucks for me and all the other women out there. Kid's cuts were $10 at Peter's and the sweet guy offers a senior citizen discount for $10  Monday-Wednesday. I thought it is important to note, by the way, that Peter was the only man in the salon. All of the other staff members and the three customers getting their hair done, were female.
Off I went then, to my Saturday class at Hunter. Yea, Saturday class....Anyway, after class I was headed to meet a friend and as I walked to the train I stopped at Jean Louis Hair Salon on Lexington. As I entered, I was met by a cloud of smoke, from the blow dryers frying the clienteles hair. I was not really surprised by this, as I'm an avid blow-dryer/frier of my own hair. I wonder if I would have been shocked and concerned if I was not so used to filling up my own room with hair smoke. The receptionist here was not so nice once she found out that I did not, in fact, want a haircut, or a even to style my mess. She pointed me to the price list, hanging on the window and proceeded to ignore me, until I bugged her with more questions about the prices. She claimed that the kids prices were only $20, and that women's started at $26, but only for a trim, no style, as she looked obnoxiously at my sort-of bun. For a trim and blow-dry, the starting price was $40 and a men's cut was $26. I was surprised by the men's price at first, but after my third salon visit, I realized that the "base prices" for females were likely unrealistic for many women. You have to have thin, straight hair, that doesn't even need to be washed or styled and will fall perfectly after being cut in a span of 15 minutes to qualify for those "base prices." What a scam. I'm a bit biased towards hair salons, as all I ever hear is how much hair I have, and how long it takes to dry, and "what are all these random layers and short pieces; is this a style??", because I used to get my hair cut wherever was convenient and like, once every year, when I had the time. Sometimes, I'd even cut my own side bangs and trim the awful split ends. Anyway, I doubt I'll ever actually get my hair cut in the fabulous Lexington Hair Salons.
I met up with my friend in Astor Place and dragged her with me to Astor Hair. She has that perfect, base-cut hair, which of course, was neat and brushed and perfect looking. The price for her, $20. For me, $35. Seriously? I mean, that's not nice..my hair is not that terrible. Men only have to pay $12 and kids here actually had different prices. Little boys, $7 and girls, $10. All the staff here were female, but there was one man getting a haircut.
Finally, just because I was tired of seeing only women getting haircuts and I was beginning to wonder if men ever really go to salons, I called my boyfriend, who goes to a barbershop in Corona, Queens. I've been to this place once, and will probably never go back. I felt so alone in that barbershop, it was filled with men and loud music and nobody even spoke to me. My boyfriend only pays $12 for his haircut, which he thinks is a rip-off. Kids cuts there are only $8. I've cut my boyfriends hair for him before and also my brothers, and I don't think it's all that easy or generic. I guess barbers disagree.
My general conclusion is that, it's pretty annoying to be a girl. I do not know men who are bothered to rip scrunchies and hair out of their head when just stepping into a hair salon, or who has ever been burned by a blow-dryer, or curling iron (the worst burns I have ever gotten were from a curling iron), or clamped their ear in a hair straightener. I have been yanked around by my hair in the salon when they blow dry it and sometime leave with a sore neck and burns on my poor head. I've been sprayed in the face with that nice sprayer they use on you when they shove your head into the sink. I've even had the fun experience of letting a friend cut my hair and having to go crying to the hair salon when it was eight different lengths. I gotta tell you, men are missing out on a lot....