Growing up in the 80’s and 90’s I was fortunate enough to see a lot of crazy fashion styles come and go. Two-toned jeans, Madonna bracelets, and even these sun glasses called blue blockers were the norm. Back then there was a group called New Edition. I guess you can say they were probably the very first boy band. They were five black kids from Boston.
They could sing, dance, and girls everywhere loved them.
They all wore a popular hair style called a “shag”. A shag was a haircut that was puffy in the back and cut low all the way around.
Being a black teenager in those days it was mandatory to get a shag. I told myself one day that the next time I go to the barbershop I was getting a one no matter what it took.
Unfortunately for me Mr.Fairley stood in the way of that ever happening. He was a nice enough guy the only problem was he took orders way to well. Mr.Fairley was the barber down the street from our house. Before I could remember me and my brothers were getting haircuts from him. He was about six foot two, well built for an older guy, and had two patches of hair on each side of his head and completely bald down the middle.
Our routine at the barbershop would go as so. Hop in moms car, mom drives us around the corner, mom follows us in, mom says hi to Mr.Fairley and then mom says the sentence we hated to hear, “four number nine’s”. I cringed when she would say it because I knew what a number nine was. Well everyone did, it was right on the wall with the other hairstyles. A number nine was the same haircut I have now. Low, no puff in the back, and definitely not “in” during the 80’s and 90’s!!
Mr.Fairley had no problem dishing out the dreaded number nine. They were quick, painless (for him), and he still got paid the same. For us (especially me and my brother romont) it meant going to school with a haircut that wouldn’t attract anything but a few jokes. I would ponder why my loving mother didn’t want us to look like New Edition like everyone else! How would girls be attracted to me without a shag?
The fact of the matter was my mom didn’t care about New Edition, the shag, or who else was wearing one. She didn’t want us to be like everyone else, she wanted us to be ourselves. If we wanted to be like everyone else it wasnt going to happen on her watch.
My story is prevalent everywhere these days. No one wants to be themselves, the grass is always greener on the other side and in most people’s minds that’s the side they need to be on. Whatever happened to being happy with who you are? Why do we need to be lady gaga and Justin beiber? How about just being Tom the guy who works at the post office.
The infamous number nine was the best thing that happened to me because it taught me that a haircut doesnt make you who you are. I was never going to be New Edition and now looking back on it I’m way happier being Cornell Thomas.
