Locks that are 'hair today, gone tomorrow' Middlebury's amateur barbers try their hands, scissors at cosmetology

Author: Sarah Harris

In an ailing economy, pinching pennies seems a natural impulse. One of the best ways to save: hair care. Instead of marching into town for the usual $10, $15, even $30 butchery, students can turn to their peers for a thrifty haircut. (Besides, in keeping with our penchant for flannel and Bean boots, there's something distinctly woodsy and bohemian about rockin' the home-do.) Here, The Campus inquires as to the training and expertise of Middlebury's aspiring young barbers.

Taryn Tilton '11

"Once, when I was five, I cut all my hair off with paper scissors in an attempt to copy my mom's bob. Huge success." Tilton's distinct childhood foray into the world of haircutting has served her well in college, as have the elementary school values of sharing and teamwork - twice, Tilton has cut hair with the help of Lara Andrade '11, each taking half of the client's head. "It sounds like the worst idea ever - because it's so easy for it to become asymmetrical - but it works out great," said Tilton. "She has a better technique than I do, but I get more business, so tell me who you think is winning." Tilton gave an off-the-cuff description of her unusual technique: "Usually, I'm either really tired, possibly inebriated or using really dull scissors - it always turns out pretty good, though." Tilton has even taken to cutting hair in exotic locales, recently trimming Will Mackey's '11 locks on a MAlt Trip to El Salvador. "The ears are very cold. I don't have to worry about bed head," said Mackey of his new do. And on the atmosphere: "I was in a Ciudad Romayo under a bare light bulb outdoors where the bugs were going nuts. It was under a fence and the scissors were dull. My hair is still in El Salvador."

Edwin Mitchell '10

Mitchell's haircutting skills sprung from necessity. "I learned to cut hair when I was a senior in high school," he said. My mother graduated from Middlebury back in the day and she warned me that there would not be anyone to keep my hair looking clean when I got up here because there were not any barber shops that had much experience cutting black men's hair. So I began cutting my own hair." Mitchell's friends and family noticed his haircuts and allowed him to cut their hair as well. When he finally arrived at Middlebury, Mitchell's haircuts continued to catch people's eyes. "James Stepney '09 noticed how my hair was constantly lined up and cut and he asked where I got my hair cut," said Mitchell. "I told him that I did it myself and I told him that I would cut his hair. I cut his hair for free on the condition that he would be my walking advertisement and would tell guys to get their hair cut by me." The rest is history: Mitchell holds a monopoly on a niche market and a few years ago even cut a lightning bolt/mohawk into ReNard Roger's '07 then-green hair for a Riddim show.

Brandon Hawkins '11 attested to Mitchell's ability. "Edwin is a phenomenal barber who attends to the needs of those with ethnic hair on campus," said Hawkins. He gives me a shape up, which means lining up my edges and cutting my beard down. I leave Edwin's chair feeling like a man ready to rule and looking good doing it."

Lingji Hon '11

Cutting hair, said Hon, "fills me with an inexplicable happiness." At age 13, after a lifetime of haircuts from her mother, Hon took her hair into her own hands. For two years, she performed a series of ad-hoc trims until ("I'm embarrassed to admit it") a photo shoot for Cosmogirl taught Hon a novel technique: layering. "The hairstylist was outraged and astonished that I didn't have 'layers,' and set to work straight away," she recounted. "As he casually cut away at my hair, talking to his Brazilian boyfriend on the phone the whole time, I scrutinized his movements and the effects they were having on my poor layer-less hair. So, between imitating him and my mother, I had a fairly good idea of how to cut hair." Her next client: an ex-boyfriend, who bore "an astonishing resemblance to Meg Ryan" that Hon deemed unacceptable. She took shears to the boy's head and, lo and behold, that's when she "transformed Meg Ryan into James Dean, and everyone was astonished with what I had done." At Middlebury, Hon has parlayed her skills into a small business - lucrative, because, "like any college student, I seem to miraculously never have any money at all." Hon, a studio art major, likens cutting hair to sculpture, claiming it to be another "creative medium" resultant in "tactile satisfaction." And satisfaction generally: "along with painting, and black footed marmosets, it is among one of the few things that still fills me with utter happiness and contentment." Joe Stern '11, a returning client, noted that "the average person seems to be able to cut hair at least as well if not better than any 'professional' hairdresser I've ever had. Oh, and one time Lingji kept my hair and used it in an art project. Maybe you shouldn't print that."

Ishaq Shadaqah '11

"I do not like the barbers in town," said Sadaqah. "I think I can do a better job than most of them." Sadaqah's clipped (no pun intended) remark is likely accurate, and his haircutting skills proved the result of United World College's (UWC) mission to "unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future." It was while attending Leaster B. Pearson UWC in British Columbia that Sadaqah, a Jordanian, and a Palestinian friend decided that it should be easy to cut hair. The two honed their craft on each other, although not without a few mishaps. "I am convinced now that when you learn cutting hair you have to make a big goof," said Sadaqah. "My biggest goof was cutting a big chunk of hair from my (I don't know the word in English but it is the hair that extends to the beard, it's both sides of the face next to ears, maybe it is called sideburns, but not sure?) and then I had to shave my head because otherwise I would look ridiculous. Since then I have not done any goofs." Sadaqah's varied and international clientele have included the likes of Hamza Usmani '10, Amro Shurrab '09 and Kent Diep '11. The talented coiffeur is interested to venturing into more unusual territory. "I've never done crazy cuts," he admitted. "I would like to try some crazy cuts, but have never been asked to and I would not do it to myself."