Americans At Work: Barbers

[Music] Americans at work performing a service on which every man woman and child depends Barbers and beauticians important people in the lives of well-groomed and attractive women for appearance sake these workers are a necessary part of our lives for more than 6,000 years the art of cutting hair has been practiced as a craft in ancient Egypt Barbers trimmed the square cut beards of the [Music] Pharaohs today they care for the square cuts on top of the head the modern mirrored Barber Shop of today is quite different from the Tonsorial Parlor of 50 years ago but the Barber's work Remains the Same a never changing part of his job is reassuring youngsters who while they may not object violently are still a bit hesitant about a [Music] haircut under the striped Barber cloth any customer becomes wrapped in some of the tradition that has surrounded Barbers and their shops since the time of Plato in the days of ancient [Music] Greece the first barbering clubs were formed where men would meet to discuss the topics of the day while having their hair trimmed and beards [Music] curled today's Barber is still an adviser or patient listener to Affairs in the lives of his customers [Music] to women a beauty salon is more than a feminine Barber Shop it is a place where they may be transformed from common place to outstanding where natural beauty is developed and [Music] accentuated often a woman's attractiveness begins in the hands of a hair stylist an artist who can instantly create an individualistic qua and communicate the exact details to an [Music] assistant hairdressers learn by doing following the instructions of the stylist who may be guided by the season the shape of the head or features of the face an entirely different treatment may be dictated to satisfy the mood of his customer from courts of royalty The Beautician has become an important part of everyday American life just as a beautician learns The Craft on the job a barber begins as an apprentice in an established shop in times past a young man learned how and went to work now in all but a few states he must be schooled and examined before he can be licensed as an apprentice and then as a journeyman Barber eventually he may open his own shop where he might begin training licensed apprentices himself the transformation that can take place in a young girl's appearance simply by changing the style of her hair is defly accomplished in the hands of an experienced beautician that little girl look can be be replaced by sophistication with quick Strokes of scissors and [Music] comb mother and daughter visits to the beauty shop are becoming as regular as the traditional Partnership of Father and Son at the barber shop this is an exclusive men's World where women do not go even though the first women's haircuts were performed there before beauty shops were [Music] opened many women average 2 hours a week in a beauty salon the care given their crowning Glory depends on how much time they can give it and the skill of the beauty operator since 1945 an increasing number of men have chosen the beautification of wom kind as a career their customers have confidence in their judgment because after all who is more appreciative of beautiful women than a man the way to Beauty may not be the most attractive but the admiring glances that result are worth [Music] it the union shop sign is a symbol of good barbering today just as many shelves of personalized shaving mugs indicated it in the gay 90s with the passing of the Shaving mug and mustache wax went another of Barbering most prized accomplishments the harmony of the barber shop quartet a barber shop is a combination of many things old and new at one time a man visited a barber shop as much to relax as to have his hair attended now modern women go to the beauty shop with the same objective special facial treatments bring to mady's countenance a look of health and youth a manicurist shapes and polishes her nails to accentuate the length and gracefulness of long tapering [Music] fingers knowledge of skin care and facial structure is something a beautician learns as an apprentice her fingers are the tools with which she always [Music] works the direction in which they move the rhythm of the massage perform another kind of beauty [Music] magic a woman's hands are as important to her as her face hair and in clothing if she is to feel well dressed and at ease men are no more without vanity than women as members of a civilized society we are concerned with our appearance before others in earliest civilizations the barber has been an integral part while we are not too sensitive to changing fashion and style it was not always so men once wore wigs and elaborate haircuts that required more hours to prepare than many women spend before their mirrors today the convenient shortcuts men now wear require less time but father and barber begin early to train a youngster's hair to the shape it will take as he grows [Music] because women can wear their hair very long or short or anywhere in between they may present an endless variety of styles for their admirers of course once long hair has been cut short only time can change it back but in the meantime a clever stylist can change its shape to emphasize features to change the entire appearance of a customer cutting hair to fit a specific personality is what makes the difference between a hair cutter and an [Music] artist it is amazing how happy a boy can look after a haircut especially as soon as he steps down from the barber chair to most of us when we are young haircuts seem pretty useless since the hair will always just grow back again for some of us anyway but when you're on your way to meet your best girl it's worth all the trouble [Music] of course one of the things a man almost always forgets is that it takes longer for one woman to finish in a beauty shop than it takes for two men to get their hair cut by one [Music] Barber waiting for a woman to leave a beauty salon has probably contributed as much humor and frustration to civilization as any other single human endeavor but there really is a reason for the waiting every part of beauty care must be performed slowly and with attention to detail it is really to the beautician's credit that it takes as little time as it does to cut wash set dry and calb a woman's hair the curls Swirls and waves that constitute a haird require skill in the hands of the hairdresser and patience on the part of the [Music] customer [Music] when the girls finally appear before their men all the time spent is forgotten if Attractive people are the leaders of society then Barbers and beauticians are the molders of leaders to explain all the Mysteries surrounding ing a woman's ability to make herself beautiful would be impossible not even all the secrets of what goes on in a beauty salon are obvious to an outsider a beautician trained in all the aspects of beauty culture from washing to waving including facials manicures and cosmetology knows more than words can tell the proper use of hands and equipment the way to roll a curler is something not always expressible in [Music] words it is enough that we are able to enjoy the work of the beauty salons wherever we [Music] turn All Over America there are Barbers and beauticians whose aim in life is one of service to the appearance of mankind these are people whose craft dates back to the beginnings of civilized society whose Union stems from the Middle Ages when Barbers and surgeons were one today they are members of The Barbers hairdressers cosmetologists and Proprietors Union of the AFL C C IO Americans at work for you Americans at work presented as a public service by the AFL CIO next week another interesting story of Americans at work Americans whose skill and effort help keep our country great and strong oh