Jalen Rose is undoubtedly a man of discerning taste, and if you go by his haircuts alone he is a big spender in the image department.
“So first off, the minimum you supposed to be spending for a quality barber is $100,” Rose said during an interview that went viral on Twitter. “I’m here to defend the sanctuary that is called barbers and beauticians. So many guys and people out there think y’all gon’ show up and get a fly haircut for $35.
“Y’all gon’ go to the end of the line, y’all gon’ hit up y’all barber, they gon’ send you to the voicemail, you’ll have a one o’clock appointment, you gon’ get there at one o’clock and somebody gonna be sitting in the chair.”
The Rose Perspective
Rose’s concern for expedience and motivation for his barber not to overbook and have another client bleed into his appointment is valid. He is an in-demand NBA analyst, media personality, and former NBA player, so keeping his look sharp and consistent is equivalent to his overall image. Rose also is from Detroit, Michigan, a city where a well-coiffed mane is a priority, and the barbershop and beauty salon are akin to church.
The internet went to the judgment zone, berating Rose’s haircut habit and labeling him out of touch with the average man’s reality.
“I’m a spend $40, I’m a schedule my appointment & my barber will have a chair available for me at the time of my appt or shortly after due to finishing his previous client,” Twitter user @JiggyKofi tweeted. “Jalen Rose a scrub who’s barber extorts him because he can. My barber loves me.”
Ouch.
Celebrity Master Groomer Marvin “Marv The Barb” Church offered some context for Rose’s higher price assertion for grooming services.
“The big facts are that clients are more willing to make lifestyle investments on themselves without checking their bank accounts,” Church said to TSL. “Clients seek to be more informed to better themselves and stay freshly cut/ groomed. They are maintaining themselves for personal branding. You don’t have to be a celebrity to pay the price, you just have to be willing.”
Alternate Options
In November 2022, Los Angeles Lakers player Pat Beverley revealed on his podcast that he’s been charged $300 for one haircut session and decided to stop getting haircuts.
“These guys are getting slightly disrespectful now,” Beverley said. “I’m talking about like, come to the crib, lining you up; how much? ‘$300.’ Like damn, that’s a pretty penny, every I don’t know week $300. So you see my sht? I don’t even cut my sht.”
The hairstyles of athletes are constantly scrutinized. Remember the jarring moment the world had to deal with Allen Iverson’s braids or his afro? Fast-forward, and Colin Kaepernick turned the afro into a whole protest. Jimmy Butler made a splash when he videoed his transformation from a twisted flat top to faux locs on social media.
Butler took to Instagram to showcase a hair appointment that started as a normal de-braiding, washing, and moisturizing to get ready for a rebraiding — until it wasn’t. Replete with Lil Wayne’s “6 Foot 7 Foot” instrumental in the background, the swivel chair holding Butler revealed a new braid that morphed into longer locs with blond tips.
Regardless of what side of the style fence you are on, many place a value on a higher-end service, and if you know you know.
