Tim Barrus: The New York Times
Tim Barrus: The New York Times
The state is correct in its regulation in cosmetology. It’s an intimate kind of thing, touching. It’s about public health.
Cosmetologists are trained to recognize disease. And then, make appropriate referrals. A barber who once cut my hair, cut my scalp. It took a long time to heal.
The trainer who cut the dreadlocks from the high school wrestler in New Jersey did not have a license. The media never mentioned that. Not even once.
What if she had cut him during this emotionally-charged public event.
The license is there for a reason. It says this person has met minimum standards.
The trainer was never educated in cosmetic standards. These standards are not irrelevant. She simply did as she was told to do. She never asked a single question. She botched the haircut as well. The media looks the other way.
I contacted several reporters who had covered this wrestling match. They all said the same thing. No charges can be brought against the trainer because the trainer was not getting paid to be a stylist.
She was being paid by a school district and not to cut hair. Nevertheless, she was, indeed, being paid. Her job would have been at stake if she had refused claiming she did not have a license. The trainer was asked to break the law, and she did so with impunity.
The reporters I contacted, all of them from the surrounding area of Philadelphia, also articulated that they had never considered the issue of public health.
Public health is important. The law should be enforced.