Hairdresser sparks debate by asking if she can touch customer’s hair

The approach divided opinion

In a video on TikTok, JPalm Hairdressing, in Omaha, Nebraska, shared a clip of one of their clients coming in for an appointment.

The hairdresser starts off by asking the customer for permission to touch their hair, which they say is fine.

She then follows this up by asking what their pronouns are, to which the customer replies they/them.

The stylist then says their pronouns are she/they, before adding: "I'm glad we exchanged those."

The four-minute long video, which has racked up some 11 million views and almost 380k likes, then sees the stylist ask the customer about what they want doing with their hair.

But the video sparked a deluge of comments after it was posted on the salon's account, with people debating the stylist's considerate treatment of the customer.

In particular, some seemed baffled by the first question and the idea of anyone going to the salon and not giving permission to touch their hair.

One person wrote: "Did you (the hairdresser) just ask (the client) can you touch her hair?"

A second said: "In what world would you go for a haircut and not consent to having your haircut?"

Another commented: "If my hairdresser, whose job it literally is to cut my hair asks me if he can touch my hair I'm never gonna go there again."

Plenty of others praised the stylist though, with one person commenting: "You are a lovely person. It’s wonderful how you ask before touching you clients and ask their pronouns."

Someone else said: "Why are people so mean?? The hairstylist is so nice."

And a third wrote: "I personally don’t go to stylists/dressers because I’m neurodivergent. An interaction like this would be really helpful."

The rest of the videos on the salon's TikTok account show that this is how the stylist starts all their consultations, so it's really nothing out of the ordinary.

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