The History of the Barbering Profession
Find Barber Schools & Learn About Barbering History
Barbering is an ancient profession that began long before the advent of barber schools, cosmetology schools or beauty schools. Over the past 6,000 years, barbers have done much more than cut hair. They have served their communities as prominent citizens, religious figures, trendsetters and healers.
Whether you are interested in becoming a barber, or wonder what the barber pole signifies— read on to discover the intrigue of the ancient barber profession.
Barbers as Medicine Men
The earliest barbers were revered as priests and medicine men in ancient Asia. They arranged marriages and baptized children. They held leadership roles because primitive tribes believed that good and bad spirits entered the body through the hair.
In religious ceremonies, participants hung their hair loose and danced while barbers encouraged evil spirits to depart. The barbers then cut the hair in the tribal fashion and combed it back tightly to keep in the good spirits. To this day in India, hair is considered to have spiritual significance, and those who cut and dress hair are highly respected.
Barbers in Ancient Egypt
In ancient Egypt, personal appearance was supremely important because it indicated a person's status or role in society. Barbers were wealthy and esteemed. They washed and scented hair, and they used razors shaped like small hatchets with curved handles to shave heads and beards. They also crafted elaborate wigs in many styles. Hair extensions were popular among people who could not afford to buy wigs.
The First Barbershops
Barbers became prominent in Greece during the fifth century B.C. Statesmen, poets and philosophers competed with one another over the excellence of their beards. They gathered in barbershops to have their hair cut and their beards trimmed, curled and scented. These shops became social centers and hotbeds of political debate.
Barbering came to Rome in 296 B.C., when Ticinius Mena arrived from Sicily and started the fashion of shaving. Soon barbershops were a gathering place for style-conscious Romans, who often devoted hours each day to shaving, haircutting, hairdressing, massaging and manicuring. The word "barber" comes from the Roman (Latin) word "barba," meaning beard. This is also the origin of the word "barbarians," referring to bearded tribes.
Medieval Barber-Surgeons
In the dark ages, there were no professional surgeons. Monks and priests, the most learned people of the time, enlisted barbers to help them perform "bloodletting" to cure diseases. Religious leaders later decided that it was a sacrilege for clergy to participate in drawing blood from the human body. Thus, barbers took over the treatment of diseases, and the era of barber-surgeons began.
Throughout England and Europe, barber-surgeons performed surgery, herbal medicine and dentistry, as well as shaving and haircutting. They served everyone from royalty to common people for centuries. The traditional red and white striped barber pole originated during these years from the clean white bandages and blood-soaked used bandages that often hung outside a barber's door.
As the science of medicine advanced, professional surgeons rose up and demanded to be separated from barbers. Soon barbers were reduced to the level of a mechanic or a servant, laborers instead of professional men.
Barbering Today
Over the last century, barbering has regained its dignity. A.B. Moler established the first modern barber school in Chicago in 1893. This began a new movement for higher education in the profession. Today barbers receive extensive training in barber schools, cosmetology schools and beauty schools.
When you choose a career as a barber, you become part of an ancient professional legacy with more opportunities than ever. You can cut hair in a traditional shop with a barber pole, or you can train as a master barber and work in a high-end salon. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists barbering as just one of the cosmetology careers that can expect continued growth through 2014.
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Sources:
Barberpole.com, 2005
Browns Hairdressing, 2008
Barber Poles Direct, 2004
Seattle Art Museum, 2008
