Hair | Barber Bans Women From His Shop

[The Ed.]

A barber has sparked outrage after banning women from his barber shops. John Shanahan has a 'gentlemen only' rule for his shop Barber Barber so, when Harriet Brignall, 18, came in with her boyfriend she was quickly asked to leave.

Harriet said: "I don't know how they're getting away with it. I was mortified. It's like a step backwards in time."

Shanahan's decision has been described as 'neanderthal' by mum-of-two Hayley Robinson, 33. She says, "I've banned my husband was using this barbers. You can't ban women in this day and age. This is going back to the dark ages. This man is a neanderthal."

But Mr. Shanahan insists that his ban is valid. "There's nothing here for ladies. This is a gentleman's barbers and we offer gentleman's services. It's my experience in the barber shop game that men like to come to these places to relax and to let go a bit. I like to see myself as an old-fashioned guy, I'm very mannerly. I don't like to use foul language in front of ladies or just say certain things in front of ladies. I wouldn't like my wife to hear some of the stuff that goes on in a barbershop and I wouldn't like my 16-year-old daughter to hear it either. It's light-hearted and a bit of fun. We're not trying to offend anybody here."

However, it may be decided that his policy violates equality laws.

Nick Small, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for employment, said, "I think it's probably legal to have a gents' barbers that only deals with men What I don't believe is legal is if women are not allowed on the premises.

"I don't think this sort of thing has a place in this day and age. You can't say to a woman 'you're not welcome in here.' Yes, they're a gents' barbers, but that doesn't give them the excuse to stop mums bringing their sons in for a haircut, for instance."

Until then...geek on!

The Ed.

Image: the salon (YouTube)

 

[Matthew Taylor]

This could open up the whole debate of allowing rules for one and rules for another.
How many threads have female therapists said outright they will not treat men, dont want men in their salon ect?!!!

Personally I find it annoying at times when I go to get my hair cut, its only a small place with only 4 waiting chairs.
You can go and there will be 4 wives/girlfriends waiting (with or without kids too) pulling their faces and disaproving at the banter and swearing while the actual paying customers have to stand up waiting outside the door. Is that right?
If there was a hair salon with 4 waiting seats and all bf's/husbands waiting, and the female clients having to stand waiting, im sure something would be said.

 

[izzidoll]

I completely agree with you Matthew!

Why on earth would any right minded female want to sit in a barbers waiting on her man getting a haircut? Why would her man want her there never mind the barber!

This complaining woman has 'banned' her husband from going there now.... Got to love the irony.

This article says more about her attitude, than the poor barbers.

 

[boolou]

But there are ladies only spa's, swimming pools etc I really don't see the difference. Its a barbers, its for men not ladies.

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[Pinkpants]

So does this mean you agree a mother cannot take her child to get a hair cut in a barbers. Ridiculous !!! Will we be getting banned from men's clothing shops too? And as for a therapist not wishing to treat a man on her own in a room, well I would not blame her, after all the Barbour mentions what they talk about not being fit for women folk.

 

[pure]

As the mum of a young son I personally wouldn't want to take him to a barbers where the talk could be inappropriate so if they want to keep it men only that would be fine with me.

 

[Kim Lawless]

I agree with the barber! We should all have the right to choose.

I said on another thread how I was in a very busy nail salon packed with women and a man was sitting there having a pedi. The conversation was stifled and in particular the women having a pedi felt really embarrassed having their unpedicured hard skin and unpolished nails cut and their feet out on display for him to see………and he was having a gold old look too.

 

[happyfeet]

Not allowing a female on the premises is old fashioned, out dated and frankly wasn't right in the first place.

I think choosing not to offer treatments to men or to women is a completely different matter. Especially as some people do it for a safety precaution and lets not forget, that's on the perverts that do try it on, not on the people who feel that's what they personally have to do.

No, when my husband goes to the barbers I don't feel the need to join him, but banning women from the premises is a little extreme. Surely the best way round it is if no spectators are allowed. Of course that gets tricky when you take kids in, but that kind of proves the point how ridiculous it is imho.

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[vividamnesia]

I worked in a classic 3rd generation barber shop back in my early-mid 20's which was awesome being taught the old ways by the old boys' which cosmetology skirts completely. The barbers used to joke with me that back in the "day" women avoided these "boys' clubs" because it was no place for a "lady". There was nudey mags,ashtrays built into the arm of every chair,colorful language was common place & sometimes on weekends even whisky was flowing. Topics of discussion were mainly of women,work & sports & all shops closed sunday-monday as law.......until women started poking around the mystery & assumed/portrayed man cult where women dare not go ruining all their "fun" & finding out little Johnny has been looking @ naked girls since Dad had been taking him for cuts' from age 3!

I replied that I have no problem with any of those things & was I not hired as a kind of eye candy/lure to help draw in the younger clientele that they lost to salon? Having my salon techniques that they lacked was what they needed to offer to the young guys whom didnt want 1 of the 5 standard cuts available which were outdated & something cops & granddads got.

I would think women to be a welcomed addition was figured out by some savvy old barber years ago to work as a barber. I used to get men in their 80's-90's that would request/wait for me to do their hair. I was like a hair whore being something young & cute for the old boys to get a thrill every 2 months or so when they were brought out of the old folks home for hair maintenance. I would joke & flirt with them thinking it was cute they wanted me to do their hair because I was probably one of the few fun events they had to look forward to in end times!

Men wouldn't dare set foot in salon back then as it was a "hen party". Thank god for gay men! They changed the times being sought after as hairdressers in the salons & most welcomed among women finally creating a mixing of genders relating outside of family or marriage! I'm sure we would still be practicing segregation of the sex's today if they didn't step in & men today would all have 1 of those 5 styles still!

 

[sdsurge]

I am in the process of taking over a hair and salon & beauty place, and I fully intend to make it a unisex place. One with hairdressers and barbers, one with black barbers as well as white barbers etc.
In this day i think it foolishness to continue to have this separation. I go to my barbers regularly, and you'll be amazed at the number of women that come in to get their sons hair done, or to do their eye brows or their own hair.
I do not see why a mother should take her son to one place, and she has to go somewhere else, and visa versa. Tesco, Amazon etc, their main premise is to try whatever means to cater for all the customer needs in one place. Don't understand why salons and barbers are still so segregated.

 

[nickysnails200]

Tbh I'd rather be asked to leave a barbers than have to sit through vulgar conversation or have the clients feel uncomfortable with a woman there. I used to take my little brother to a barbers that was family orientated so lots of mums were there with there sons and it was no problem ,however based on the way that the owner of this particular barber speaks about his shop and the atmosphere in it I can only assume he wouldn't want children in there either due to the nature of conversation and surely any mother would want her child to have to listen to such talk?
I have just opened a home salon and it is ladies only if a woman turned up with her husband I would ask him to wait in the car as I would be uncomfortable having a man I don't know in my house. On many threads on here I have seen a number of women say the will not treat men or allow men into their homes etc for various reasons so why is this okay yet people are getting annoyed when it's the other way round?
Xx

 

[fozzyo]

So does this mean you agree a mother cannot take her child to get a hair cut in a barbers. Ridiculous !!! Will we be getting banned from men's clothing shops too? And as for a therapist not wishing to treat a man on her own in a room, well I would not blame her, after all the Barbour mentions what they talk about not being fit for women folk.

You make an assumption that they offer child cuts ... if I was ever to own a men's grooming salon it would be just that ... 16+. Why can't a business decide to be male only or female only, or even more controversially adult only?

There are countless salons, hairdressers and barbers in every town and city - some choose to target a certain client group and cater accordingly for that.

I have lost count of how many of my male clients who have told me they have never had a waxing before because they don't want to to go a "ladies salon". They don't feel comfortable in that environment, or rather are worried they wouldn't.

Mat

 

[ch-ela]

As a 19 year old young woman, I worked in a barber shop. We had a selection of porn magazines on the table and sold condoms. My boss was male, we were 3 young women working there. Mothers did bring their children in to have their haircut, it was no big deal. I'm sure the men just adapted their language in the presence of young children. That was the norm back them. A bit of respect for others.

It was a great job, and there was always lots of banter.

I wonder whether the owner of the salon would employ women barbers? Would that be discrimination?

 

[Rinn]

His salon ...his rules .

 

[ch-ela]

But if a religious couple don't want to offer a double room in a B&B to an unmarried couple, there's uproar!
Are there any cafe's where children are not allowed? Don't even mention breastfeeding!

I find the rules hard to understand.

 

[laurakate]

Give the men a space to relax in a men only area.

There are loads of women only places like gyms and tattoo parlours. It's not fair that women can make the most of this kind of exception while men can't.

 

[fozzyo]

And Harrods now opening women only spa ... No uproar about that.

 

[AcidPerm]

But if a religious couple don't want to offer a double room in a B&B to an unmarried couple, there's uproar!
Are there any cafe's where children are not allowed? Don't even mention breastfeeding!

I find the rules hard to understand.

That's the thing though. As a business owner, you can determine your own rules providing you don't break the law.

The religious couple broke the law and committed a criminal offence because they were running a business and refused to allow a couple to stay simply because they were gay.

You can choose not to provide a barbering/hairdressing services to children. You're not committing an offence if you do.

 

[AcidPerm]

What about all the Gentlemans Clubs that have been around for years? I'm pretty certain some were found to be breaking the law and have had to adapt their membership policies slightly.

Unfortunately, all the members are QC's and High Court Judges.

 

[ch-ela]

That's the thing though. As a business owner, you can determine your own rules providing you don't break the law.

The religious couple broke the law and committed a criminal offence because they were running a business and refused to allow a couple to stay simply because they were gay.

You can choose not to provide a barbering/hairdressing services to children. You're not committing an offence if you do.

It had nothing to do with them being gay. It was because they were not married.

Is that a criminal offence?