Beard, hair, and mustache: Consumption and masculinities in barbershops

Abstract

Many men have been questioning gender stereotypes that have instituted what they should or should not consume. An example is the growth of the service market for this group, such as new barbershops. This study aims to analyze how masculinities are constructed, administrated, and negotiated in barbershops. For this purpose, this study conducted participant observation in barbershops and 17 interviews with consumers and market agents. The results suggest that the symbolic meaning of what it is to be masculine emerges in a dialectic process between consumers, market agents, and barbershops. This meaning is then used actively for the construction and negotiation of their masculinities. This process involves i) distinction of the female sphere, as well as provision of ii) space for relaxation and well-being and iii) space for sociability among men. The study also presents academic and management implications of the results.