Max Riffner

The Parlor

My weblog work journal.  »Archives  »Links

Flattop

When I was a kid, I used to get a flattop in the summer. I loved flattops; not those Bosworth cuts, but just a good old fashioned flattop. It was actually a practical haircut for a kid on summer vacation, since we were outside most of the time. My brother and I used to go the barber shop and ask the old men there to hook us up; we left satisfied when we could run our hand up the back of our neck onto our skull and feel our freshly shorn hairs bristle against the movement.

And we usually got a tub of butch wax as we left.

For the uninitiated, butch wax was this pink goop that made your flattop stand up straight. One tub of this would last us all summer. Because I always like to look, Wikipedia actually acknowledges the flattop and the existence of butch wax (and I believe their external link to butch wax is the actual brand we used).

Now that I’m older, I still think about getting a flattop when the weather gets warm, or at least a buzzcut. However, I resist the urge when I walk around and see men close to my age balding. I’m not sure if I keep a full head of hair out of respect for the fallen, or just the opposite.

You can also browse through the Parlor archives.