I like to think I know my body but when I get a strange gurgle or surge of pain I’m reminded that my body and I aren’t fully acquainted. I can’t foretell how my body is going to react if I ate nothing but olives all day, or if I didn’t sleep for a whole week, let alone how it’s going to react at high altitude, so what gives someone else the audacity to think they know better than I do when it comes to my body? Although I struggle to keep my mouth shut at times, I’m not backwards in coming forwards, I do believe that if one has nothing nice to say one should definitely keep their gob firmly shut. I have found myself in situations where I’ve had a mental fight with my urges to spill any negative and judgemental thought being processed in my mind but I’ve managed it and in doing so I have saved myself some grace and spared someone’s feelings. What kind of person feels that it is essential not to think very carefully, or even at all, about the repercussions of a negative comment? Does that kind of person (and I say that kind of person because they are clearly a completely different species to the careful, caring and kind folk) get a twang, of any measure, of excitement or pleasure out of potentially making another person feel absolutely terrible? I’m not going to deny that I’ve had fairly callous thoughts about people and never displayed them in some form but I wouldn’t directly allow myself into a situation where I would deem it compulsory to express it for no good reason other than to start an argument or hurt someone’s feelings. If I am provoked then I will ,of course, stand my ground and fight until my head runs out of oxygen and my heart gives way; if I am in the wrong I will acknowledge it and apologize if necessary. The point I am trying to make is I will not insult someone for no good reason and it would have to be a damn good reason if I ever did.
I chose the career I work in because it is something I am passionate about and I like to think I’m good at it. It is a career that does require a substantial amount of skill, imagination and common sense to do it well. There are endless opportunities for me to progress in my career and I constantly find myself working towards something and trying to improve on the knowledge and skills I already possess. The downsides to my career choice are the long hours of standing, the back ache, the persistent dull aching of sciatica, the dermatitis, the fingers you feel like you’ve replaced with chopping boards and the endless struggle to defend yourself for being a hairdresser to people who will slate it until they are blue in the face because of the terrible stereotype we have been given. I am not thick as pig’s shit and I don’t always talk about the weather. Let it be said, there are some hairdressers who couldn’t cut their way out of a paper bag but it is entirely up to their boss’ discretion that they are throwing money down the drain in continuing their employment. There are hairdressers who have secured themselves millions of pounds by building on their career to it’s full potential because it is not the kind of career you can compare to a piece of shit on your shoe. All those people who can’t help but spit on us because we work long and hard hours just like everybody else wouldn’t last 5 minutes doing what we do. I don’t insult other people for their occupation because it isn’t a reflection of who they are as a person. Stereotyping is incredibly demeaning and people are losing the right to be an individual because we are being forced into such painfully judgemental categories that even being dead can’t stop some people from ridiculing you.
When I was training to become a hairdresser nobody ever told me I wouldn’t be able to climb a mountain. If they had ever articulated such drivel I would have demanded they gave me a good explanation as to why I couldn’t do such a thing. Not long a go, upon meeting some old friends, I mentioned in conversation that I would be climbing Kilimanjaro next year and the reaction I got was “But you’re just a hairdresser!”. I can’t even enunciate how that makes me feel in a coherent manner. It is so utterly demeaning and hurtful and yet cripplingly pointless for me to even bother with an educated response. The mature side of me must remind myself that this individual didn’t pause to think that such a statement could be so hurtful because they are clearly poorly educated on the mannerisms of being a gentleman with polite etiquette. Or to dumb it down to their level, they are twat. I don’t expect people to create a parade in my honour and I’m not showing off by telling people but I’m so excited about this challenge that I want to tell people. When was that an open invitation to insult me? I’ve had a few negative responses, which I was expecting, because I wouldn’t have made it into the list of ‘people most likely to achieve something through extreme sports’ in high school. No matter how many times you have people tell you not to let it get to you it does. It really does. It makes you feel insignificant and unworthy of the honour of being part of something so phenomenal. Are those people deliberately putting me down because they’re covering up for the fact they are actually jealous because they would never have the balls to do something like this? Or are they just assholes?
I chose the career I work in because it is something I am passionate about and I like to think I’m good at it. It is a career that does require a substantial amount of skill, imagination and common sense to do it well. There are endless opportunities for me to progress in my career and I constantly find myself working towards something and trying to improve on the knowledge and skills I already possess. The downsides to my career choice are the long hours of standing, the back ache, the persistent dull aching of sciatica, the dermatitis, the fingers you feel like you’ve replaced with chopping boards and the endless struggle to defend yourself for being a hairdresser to people who will slate it until they are blue in the face because of the terrible stereotype we have been given. I am not thick as pig’s shit and I don’t always talk about the weather. Let it be said, there are some hairdressers who couldn’t cut their way out of a paper bag but it is entirely up to their boss’ discretion that they are throwing money down the drain in continuing their employment. There are hairdressers who have secured themselves millions of pounds by building on their career to it’s full potential because it is not the kind of career you can compare to a piece of shit on your shoe. All those people who can’t help but spit on us because we work long and hard hours just like everybody else wouldn’t last 5 minutes doing what we do. I don’t insult other people for their occupation because it isn’t a reflection of who they are as a person. Stereotyping is incredibly demeaning and people are losing the right to be an individual because we are being forced into such painfully judgemental categories that even being dead can’t stop some people from ridiculing you.
When I was training to become a hairdresser nobody ever told me I wouldn’t be able to climb a mountain. If they had ever articulated such drivel I would have demanded they gave me a good explanation as to why I couldn’t do such a thing. Not long a go, upon meeting some old friends, I mentioned in conversation that I would be climbing Kilimanjaro next year and the reaction I got was “But you’re just a hairdresser!”. I can’t even enunciate how that makes me feel in a coherent manner. It is so utterly demeaning and hurtful and yet cripplingly pointless for me to even bother with an educated response. The mature side of me must remind myself that this individual didn’t pause to think that such a statement could be so hurtful because they are clearly poorly educated on the mannerisms of being a gentleman with polite etiquette. Or to dumb it down to their level, they are twat. I don’t expect people to create a parade in my honour and I’m not showing off by telling people but I’m so excited about this challenge that I want to tell people. When was that an open invitation to insult me? I’ve had a few negative responses, which I was expecting, because I wouldn’t have made it into the list of ‘people most likely to achieve something through extreme sports’ in high school. No matter how many times you have people tell you not to let it get to you it does. It really does. It makes you feel insignificant and unworthy of the honour of being part of something so phenomenal. Are those people deliberately putting me down because they’re covering up for the fact they are actually jealous because they would never have the balls to do something like this? Or are they just assholes?
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