Rutgers University Press Styling Masculinity: Gender, Class, and Inequality in the Men's Grooming Industry

The twenty-first century has seen the emergence of a new style of man: the metrosexual. Overwhelmingly straight, white, and wealthy, these impeccably coiffed urban professionals spend big money on everything from facials to pedicures, all part of a multi-billion-dollar male grooming industry. Yet as this innovative study reveals, even as the industry encourages men to invest more in their appearance, it still relies on women to do much of the work.Styling Masculinity investigates how men's beauty salons have persuaded their clientele to regard them as masculine spaces. To answer this question, sociologist Kristen Barber goes inside Adonis and The Executive, two upscale men's salons in Southern California. Conducting detailed observations and extensive interviews with both customers and employees, she shows how female salon workers not only perform the physical labor of snipping, tweezing, waxing, and exfoliating, but also perform the emotional labor of pampering their clients and pumping up their masculine egos.Letting salon employees tell their own stories, Barber not only documents occasions when these workers are objectified and demeaned, but also explores how their jobs allow for creativity and confer a degree of professional dignity. In the process, she traces the vast network of economic and social relations that undergird the burgeoning male beauty industry. Review "Barber's book innovatively combines theories of work, gender, and culture. It makes a significant contribution to masculinities research. Anyone teaching or conducting research on gender, social class, qualitative methods, work, inequalities, and culture will find this book to be compelling. It is nuanced and rich in detail"--Patti Giuffre "SAGE Pub""A cut above: Traditional barbershops are back," by Dave McGinn https: //www.theglobeandmail.com/life/style/article-a-cut-above-traditional-barbershops-are-back/-- "Globe and Mail""A salon of his own: Men don't play second fiddle here," by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, -- "LoHud.com""A salon of his own: More than just manscaping," by Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy-- "USA Today""A well-researched book."-- "Journal of American Culture""A Short History of Manly Beauty Products for Masculine Men," by Hazel Cills https: //jezebel.com/a-short-history-of-manly-beauty-products-for-masculine-1834956610-- "Jezebel""How the 'Wife Beater' Tank Top Became A Marker of Class, Ethnicity and Domestic Abuse" by C. Brain Smith-- "Mel Magazine""Masculinity During A Pandemic: How Haircuts And Face Masks Got Political" an interview with Kristen Barber https: //www.wortfm.org/masculinity-during-a-pandemic-how-haircuts-and-face-masks-got-political/-- "A Public Affair, WORT""New barbershops cash in on male grooming trend" interview with Kristen Barber-- "Marketplace""Why So Many Men Chase Skirts, But Won't Wear Them" by Nora Whelan-- "Playboy""WHAT EXPENSIVE MEN'S HAIRCUTS ARE REALLY SELLING YOU" by Quinn Myers https: //melmagazine.com/en-us/story/expensive-mens-haircut-worth-it-- "Mel Magazine"How it became OK for guys to take care of themselves: an interview with Kristen Barber [http: //goo.gl/o3qExa]-- "NPR's Marketplace"What's the Deal With That Guy's Fluffy Hair? by Thomas Vinciguerra-- "New York Times"Why barbershops are disappearing: And what it means that some still thrive by Kristen Barber [http: //goo.gl/mN4nWW]-- "The Houston Chronicle""A well-researched contribution to the sociology of work, gender studies, and consumer culture ... Highly recommended."-- "Choice""Though the grooming work and shop floor are evocative, Barber's attention moves beyond hair to the social exchanges that take place ... bringing together emotional labor, aesthetic labor, and physical labor, all the while highlighting the role of sexuality."-- "Gender & Society""A deep examination of the rise of male beauty culture."-- "The New York Times""Barber provides excellent insight into how women groom men while upholding thei