She Said/Then He Said: The Hairdresser Conundrum

. An advice blogumn by Andy Allen and Kalimba Bennett Dear She Said/Then He Said, What is a graceful way to shut down a conversation without appearing rude? I love my hair stylist, and don’t want to go through the trouble of finding another one. But she wants to talk—ABOUT NOTHING—for the whole hour. It’s exhausting and makes me want to smash my face in her cutting mirror. Pretending to read Radar Magazine does not deter her. Help! Sick of Small Talk Austin, TX .. SHE said: Dearest Sick of Small Talk, I don’t know a soul that hasn’t encountered a Chatty Cathy in a hair salon. Doesn’t your hairdresser see the magazine you bury your head into the second she opens her blabber mouth? The truth is this – No, she doesn’t.  And … she never will.  She just loves talking too much and she doesn’t care if you like it or not. Now, you can keep smiling and nodding while the voice inside your head is screaming “SHUT UP!!!!!” or you can try a technique I call Painful Honesty aka “saying what’s on your mind.” The “pain” part is on your end because it’s often so hard to say the thing we are thinking.  But PH doesn’t require rudeness it just requires expressing honestly what people might not want to hear. There’s a difference. RUDE: Stylist: What do you think about this Sarah Palin character? You: I’m not paying you to spit in my hair, I’m paying you to cut it.  Now, shut it and put those scissors to work, bitch! Now Painful Honesty at its finest after the jump: Stylist:  What do you think about this Sarah Palin Character? You: She’s … okay… listen, Cathy.  I have — Stylist: She needs...