'I'm not a Karen I swear': Woman walks out of hair appointment after stylist roasts her 'weedwhacker' haircut

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Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Jun 22, 2023 11:00 AM EDT

This woman is wondering if she's the reason her latest haircut went so poorly. 

Recently on Twitter, people were discussing "haircut trauma," with some people mocking the idea, and more serious folks knowing exactly what that meant. Hair is a very important indicator of oneself, after all, it's one of the first things people notice about you, and one of the ways you are judged upon first impressions. So if you've ever had a hair stylist botch your hair really badly, you know that it can be a rough experience until those strands grow back.

Even if your hair looks great afterward, the wrong stylist can make you want to avoid getting your hair cut ever again if they make you feel bad during the process. It seems like that was the case with this person, u/Diligenttemporary, who found a hairstylist to cut her hair. But the OP failed to mention that she has a condition that makes her hair look a bit stragly, and instead kept silent about her condition during the cut. But that led to some unfortunate miscommunication, and the OP ended up walking out. 

It seems like a lot of people are anxious or too shy to tell their stylist what they actually want. Of all the times to be shy and reserved, this is not it! Even a small miscommunication can have big implications for your hair. The difference between a bob and a trim can be easily mistaken, or your hair could easily be dyed bleach blonde when all you wanted was a light brown shade. Hopefully this person learns from the commenters, who gave her tips for how to communicate about her condition for the next time she gets a trim. 

Up next, these 20 people had some hilariously silly questions that they just needed to ask. 

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  • 01
    Chair
    via Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
  • 02
    Font - AITA for snapping at my hairdresser? (I'm not a Karen I swear) A few days ago I (23f) went to a salon to get a haircut for the first time in years. I generally tend to avoid them and just cut my own hair at home instead. This is because for the past 10 years I have been dealing with a disorder called trichotillomania, which causes me to pull my hair out of my scalp. I have no idea why I do it, but I absolutely hate it because of how weak it makes me feel. I keep my hair long, but I have a
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 03
    Font - I booked the appointment at the salon to try and feel pretty for once. I was a bit anxious, because I'm very sensitive about this problem and I don't like people commenting on it, especially strangers. The stylist that was taking care of me was really nice at first, very young and bubbly. After she washed my hair I stopped her for a second and warned her that she would find some shorter strands, that it was no big deal and to just try to work around them. I didn't really explain the whole
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 04
    Font - She immediately replied "oh yeah, don't worry about it!" and started cutting my hair. I was feeling pretty positive at this point, so I let her do her job. When she got to the top section of my hair (where I pull at the most), I heard her mumbling something, but didn't really pay attention. At one point though she just started making these seemingly innocent comments, like "Oh, look at this... I guess I'll just find a way around it!" or "Wow, let me see if I can cover this up". I tried no
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 05
    Font - The comment that really set me off came when she was almost done and she was telling me how to style my hair at home. She said something like "It depends on the kind of brush you use, you won't get the same result with a round brush and with a flat one... just keep your hands off the weedwhacker next time!", with the most condescending tone possibile. It really caught me off guard, so I immediately stood up from and said I was going home.
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 06
    Font - She asked me if I was okay and I replied something like "I would be if you just did your job and didn't comment on things you know nothing about". She asked what she did wrong, but I just turned and left. She followed me to the receptionist's desk and just stood there watching me pay. Just before leaving I turned to her and said "you should know better".
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 07
    Font - After crying in my car like a toddler, I got home and told my mom what happened. It doesn't help that she's one of those people who think you can "just stop" a habit like mine. She told me that the stylist probably didn't mean to hurt me and that I'm just too sensitive. I was furious at first but now I wonder if I reacted too harshly. At the end of the day she didn't know I had a problem, she just saw my shorter hair. What do y'all think?
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 08
    Font - EvilCallie Parta pant [1] Very soft YTA, mainly because this is the type of discussion/commentary hairstylists tend to make during a hair cut. You told her about a potential issue she may face, but, at least as far as I can tell in your description, you never once asked her not to comment on your hair, or to stop when she started to. You didn't need to tell her your personal details, but you just sat there stewing in silence, getting angrier and angrier at a woman who had no idea she was
    via u/EvilCallie
  • 09
    Font - You've had a rough time, and you were affected by this experience, and my ruling is not reflective of that. But, if there is a next time, or another situation where you might face these types of comments... maybe just ask them not to comment? Or just say you aren't up for conversation that day, or whatever. I've told people during this type of transaction (hair cup, waxing, manicure, electrolysis, etc) that I'm not really up for being "social", and they've been silent except to ask me que
    via u/EvilCallie
  • 10
    Font - Lilitu9 Tails There is not situation where it is acceptable or professional for a stylist to tell a client to "keep your hands off the weed whacker" If for mo other reason, that makes the stylist the a
    via u/Lilitu9
  • 11
    Font - Element_Girl OP admits to cutting her hair herself, it seems much more likely to me that the hairdresser's comment was in reference to that and not the fact that OP has trich
    via u/Element_Girl
  • 12
    Font - [deleted] I'm not sure how to rate this. I feel like there's a good chance that she saw your hair and thought you had just done a terrible job of cutting it yourself. Stylists tend to banter, and it may have been innocent ribbing on her part. But at the same time, it seems like an experienced professional would have come across this (or some other condition) before and would know how to act/respond.
    via u/deleted
  • 13
    Font - concernedreader1982 Certified Proctologist [23] YTA You just told this stylist to cut around the shorter hair. You never divulged why you had normal hair. You assume she should know that you have a condition that causes you to do this to yourself. Her assumption was maybe you, or someone else, tried to cut your hair then decided not to.
    via u/concernedreader1982
  • 14
    Font - Diligentemporary OP. I honestly didn't feel comfortable telling her about it, even though maybe I should have. I didn't assume she would know, I just hoped she would leave it be... but I guess it will be a lesson for next time -153 Share
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 15
    Rectangle - A Aficionad... "I have a medical issue that causes it" is enough.
    via r/AmItheA**hole
  • 16
    Font - canyamaybenot. You don't have to disclose, but then you have to be open to the possibility that someone will draw their own conclusions. She clearly assumed you had tried to cut your own hair, which is a reasonable assumption to make.
    via u/canyamaybenot
  • 17
    Font - ghostvania Parta pant [2] Soft YTA - the hairdresser's comments were innocuous and sound like standard salon banter. You obviously don't have to disclose your condition with anyone, but considering she had no way of knowing, that reaction was a little unfair to her.
    via u/ghostvania
  • 18
    Font - drowsiestdreamer NAH but leaving towards a very light YTA. I don't think she should have been making those comments in the first place but I also think because this was something very sensitive to you it should have been explained in some way. I understand you don't want to tell people about your condition but it's mostly a preventative measure to protect your feelings so something like this wouldn't happen. People are very chatty and don't always realize their actions can trigger negativ
    via u/drowsiestdreamer
  • 19
    Font - personally think you should've explained beforehand "hey I have a condition I can't control so this is why my hair is in x shape. Please refrain from comments about the uneven length" and that would be that. If she continued after then you would've been 100% justified imo. I'm sorry it happened and I hope your hair came out good regardless! But sometimes we have to take appropriate measures to protect ourselves.
    via u/drowsiestdreamer
  • 20
    Font - thisduckissalty Sorry, because you'll probably take this hard but I do think YTA. No one has any idea what it's like to be in anyone else's head. Even people who have the same condition would not all feel or react the same way about their condition. The hair dresser was trying her best to give you a look you'd be happy in - - so was explaining how to style it. From the sounds of it, she didn't know what condition you had or how you felt about it. How could she have "known better" how thin
    via u/thisduckissalty
  • 21
    Font - I hope you are getting help for your condition so you don't have to feel so badly all the time.
    via u/thisduckissalty
  • 22
    Font - Diligentemporary OP. I get not knowing what's really going on because I chose not to disclose it. I wasn't expecting her to figure it out, I was just hoping to avoid being judged out loud. I didn't really care about the first few comments she made, but the weedwhacker thing was just so unnecessary in my opinion. Had she said something like "be careful if you cut your hair at home" it woudn't have bothered me so much, but that felt so condescending and I got carried away by the frustration
    via u/Diligentemporary
  • 23
    Font - lotus_eater123. Colo-rectal Su... She made an assumption and then chided a customer over that assumption. It's not the end of the world, but it was unprofessional.
    via u/lotus_eater123

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