When People's Outsides Don't Match Their Insides

I can't believe I haven't learned this lesson already. You see, I still get confused when what people say and do don't match how they look. I know, I know - don't judge a book by it's cover and all, but I find it particularly confusing when someone cultivates their look. You know - you wouldn't wear a shirt that says "Marriage is only for straight people" if you are pro- gay marriage, right? Right?

Yesterday I got a haircut. I've been really wanting to chop it off, and I figured I shouldn't trust that to the bozos down at Floyd's Barbershop who normally cut my hair. While it looks rock and roll, they really are just a step above SuperCuts (no offense, SuperCuts, but I think you know where you stand in the hair salon line-up). I decided I would go to my friend's stylist, pony up a little extra cash to go to a real artist. My friend has rockstar hair and it always looks good, so the stylist had that in his favor.

I knew what to expect before I met him, I went to his website, saw his photo, saw the types of cuts and styles he normally does. He's a rock and roll guy, does styling for models and photo shoots and whatnot. His studio is a work/live loft space, it looks like an art gallery. Everything is all white, there are mannequins wearing weird art pieces/clothes, there's lots of rock and roll type art on the walls (think Jim Morrison collages, that kind of thing). He himself had the look to go with it.

We got to chatting so he could get to know me a little more before he gave me a new style. I told him that my husband was apprehensive about me cutting off my hair, he prefers it long, but that he was cool with me getting a new style. If he didn't like it we could have sex with the lights off. The stylist asked me what my husband does, and the conversation goes something like this:


Me: My husband is forming a charity organization to help build earthquake safe housing in developing countries.

Him: I don't understand why those people just don't move somewhere that doesn't have earthquakes. And what do they really have to worry about? They don't have anything anyway! What does it matter if their house falls down? They should just get a tent and move it someplace that doesn't have earthquakes. (laughs)

Me: (silence)

Him: And I don't understand why people have to go outside our country to help. Why can't we just help the people that are here? You know, the homeless guy under the overpass? Go down to South Central and help those people. I don't think we should be helping people outside the US.

Me: (silence)


It went on like this for a few more minutes. He was really impassioned about it, and I did not know how to respond.  He did just hear me say that my husband was devoting his life to helping poor people outside the US, right? I decided, after a prolonged silence to change the subject, since he was the one holding the scissors. But that really stuck with me. I guess, due to his very artsy appearance, I thought that he would be more open-minded. But he had a really narrow worldview, from what I could tell.

For the record, my hair looks almost exactly the same today as it did before I went in. I think perhaps this is not the guy for me. Maybe next time I should go to some really frumpy looking old woman. And she'll be like super-open-minded and give me a really cool rock and roll haircut. I don't know.

I just get so confused when people's outsides don't match their insides....