Men reclaim their turf

A phone call came in the middle of a virtual meeting. It was Julius, a loyal client who had permanently relocated to Thika.

When I saw his name flashing on the screen, I remembered he had earlier sent me a message asking to book an appointment for a haircut. I had been too busy to reply. Since I could not take the call, I asked him to send a text instead.

Julius was already on his way and wanted to know the exact time I was opening the shop. He hoped to be the first client.

“I’ll be there around 10am after the meeting,” I texted back.

“See you then,” he replied.

I had to rush so as not to keep him waiting. He arrived 30 minutes later to find me already set up. Settling into the chair, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“This is the only place left for men of all ages to meet and discuss their issues,” he said.

Julius is one of those men who strongly advocate for the return of the old-school barbershop, when it was an all-male affair.

“How can men talk about their issues in front of women?” he asked.

He was referring to the modern unisex barbershops, mostly staffed by women and frequented by the younger generation of men.

I learnt from him that there is a new platform on X, dubbed #MasculinitySaturday, where he is an active participant, and that one particular session had been dedicated to the barbershop.

Julius told me that various issues were discussed there, including women accompanying their young sons to the kinyozi and men going for massages at spas—practices some contributors discouraged.

“Men are fighting hard to reclaim their only remaining masculinity space, since football, the bar, and the gym have all been infiltrated by women,” Julius claimed.

One amusing comment on the platform read: “These women make their young sons leave the barbershop looking like female peacocks.”

As a barber, I have indeed witnessed men of all ages coming together in the barbershop.

Recently, four young boys walked in—two for a shave, the other two simply accompanying them. Shortly after, two men in their early 30s entered. As they waited in the queue, they began discussing the new education system, and the debate went on and on, with everyone in the barbershop joining in.

“So, when people like Julius decide to fight for their rightful place, the emergence of the modern man and the revival of the traditional barbershop—with methylated spirit as the only antiseptic—will not be an easy task,” says a present-day barber.