The Comb and Scissors of Dignity

Words: Wilhelm Ortmayr    Image: Barber Angels
Translated from German by Translators Without Borders
COURTESY OF APROPOS / INTERNATIONAL NETWORK OF STREET PAPERS

Margrit Resch is passionate about hairdressing and has been ever since she began her apprenticeship 47 years ago. Now retired, Margrit still enjoys using the tools of her trade a few hours a week, working at a salon near the Goethe housing project in the Itzling district of Salzburg. Her personal approach to the hairdressing profession goes far deeper than creativity, style, or dexterity. “You’ve got to like people,” she says. “It doesn’t matter who they are, where they come from or what issues they have.”

For this woman from Salzburg, hairdressing is a calling – a social commitment. So, a few years ago, Margrit seized the opportunity to join the Barber Angels Brotherhood, a community of like-minded professionals who offer haircuts and shaves to the homeless and poor as regularly as possible and, of course, free of charge.

Originally an Anglo-American initiative, the Barber Angels Brotherhood found its way to Austria via Germany. The Austrian Brotherhood currently has 61 members. Barber Angels’ services are integrated into and work closely with relevant social initiatives, associations, and institutions. In Salzburg, for example, the Caritas and Saftladen charities organise appointments and provide the space in which these appointments can take place, either on their own premises or elsewhere, such as Haus Elisabeth on Plainstraße. “You don’t need to announce you’re coming or advertise much,” Margrit tell us. “Our regular customers usually can’t wait for their next appointment and always show up.”

The service she and her predominantly female colleagues provide is essentially quite simple: they cut hair and trim and tidy beards. Some women who use the service request basic hair curling. That’s it. For their customers, though, this service means a great deal. “For people living on the outer edges of society, a relatively neat and tidy appearance gives a huge boost to their self-esteem,” Margrit explains, as she recalls the many conversations she has had with her clients about the positive impact of her work. “Having well-groomed hair or a well-groomed beard is almost more important than the clothes you wear.” None of her clients can afford to pay a mainstream hairdresser: not only would many be hesitant to cross the threshold of a mainstream hairdresser; many would be turned away at the door. 

The Barber Angels insist that everyone deserves to be well-groomed. But it’s about so much more than that. Countless encounters have taught the Angels that the social aspects of the service – being accepted and cared for plus the simple desire for conversation – are far more significant for their clients than for paying shop-goers. “I know the stories of almost all my clients,” an Angel from Siezenheim says, “and there’s a lot of ugliness in their lives. It does them all good to be able to talk to us for a bit without being judged or condemned.”

What the Austrian Barber Angels need most urgently are new members, particularly in the eastern states, but not just there. Hairdressers who refuse to turn their eyes and scissors away from the prevailing poverty have even begun travelling to other states to meet the overwhelming demand. Having racked up 55 trips to date – travelling to Vienna, Baden, Linz, Wels, Salzburg, Klagenfurt, Villach, Graz, Innsbruck, Feldkirch und Dornbirn – the Angels have given 2 200 free haircuts and beard trims. Repeatedly travelling such long distances costs the Angels a great deal of time and money, so more members in all regions of Austria would be enormously helpful. Naturally, donations are also most welcome, as the Barber Angels generally cover their own costs. 

Going further, these so-called “Hairdressers against Poverty” also want to inspire and motivate others – not only their colleagues, but other professional sectors as well. “Many professional groups could also donate their time and skills, perhaps once a month, to support the poor people in their own country.” Margrit asserts. “We want to give people a wake-up call.” There are already some excellent examples of others stepping up to help: a well-known Pinzgau sports retailer donated warm coats and sleeping bags before the last winter set in. “That helps our clients enormously, bringing both warmth and a bit of dignity.”

And restoring a bit of human dignity also works internationally – despite any language barriers. As a dedicated Barber Angel, Margrit regularly combines pleasure and being of service by helping those in need wherever she takes her holidays. Her most memorable experience thus far was when 48 Barber Angels from many different countries cut hair in a football stadium in Majorca. That trip wasn’t the 62-year-old’s final mission. “Any typical southern holiday destination is ideal,” she says. “Behind the sleek facades of the high life lurks bitter poverty.”