Buenos Aires Transcending

I needed a change. This past Wednesday, I had just finished an unsatisfying session with my Argentine psychologist, and the most healthy and least time consuming way I could think of to feel that sharp, clean, exhilarating sense of change was to go have my hair cut. Actually, the idea hadn't occurred to me yet, when I was walking down Corrientes (Avenida Corrientes), in a kind of fog, wondering what to do with the rest of my day, and not putting any pressure on myself to decide. Looking back, I'm not sure why I stopped in front of MarinaLook Salon, the place looked pretty average, and the low price was at the same time enticing and worrisome, but when I snuck a peak at my hairdresser-to-be straightening her flawless, black, Cleopatraesque bangs, I could tell she knew what she was doing, and decided to trust that gut instinct. Upon entering, I was greeted by a friendly receptionist who handed me off to Daniela. As a rule, I always check out the stylists' hair before allowing them to touch my head, often I will leave a salon if I don't like what I see, feigning some excuse like, oh, I forgot I just cut my hair last week. Anyway, I liked Daniela's hair a lot. I wasn't sure it was hers, though, but by the way she was primping and ironing in the mirror before I arrived, I could appreciate her appreciation for nice hair. See, Daniela was very tall, had large, silicone breasts, very tight clothing and impossibly thin, toned arms and legs. She also had quite a pronounced jaw bone, and a way about her that let me know she was in a process of change herself. More frankly, Daniela was transitioning from man to woman. When we met, she immediately began tousling my hair and experimenting with possibly styles. We agreed on a trim with some volume-enhancing layers and side-swept bangs. As she worked away, at times nearly suffocating me in her surgery-enhanced bosom, she explained how she loves to make women feel wonderful and feminine and that she cuts her own hair, which I found out is her own, and is incredibly thick and luxurious. She told me that she studies dance, and offered to give me the address of her dance studio if I wanted to try a class. She was lovely, and left me with a haircut that made me feel that refreshed, renewed satisfaction of change. For some reason, I knew Daniela was going to leave an impact on me, even if only enough to inspire this blog entry, but from the moment I saw her styling her own hair in the mirror, I trusted her, and felt compelled to walk in. Maybe because I could tell from a distance that she was a transgender person and with my own prejudices, decided she would be in touch with female style and psyche. That hunch ending up being quite useful, I love the haircut she gave me, but more than that, she was the medium that allowed me to transform from having a bluesy kind of day, to feeling great. As a person going through many changes myself, I can identify with people, like Daniela, who are in transition, and though for her it was just another haircut for another customer, I was moved by her dedication- to her vocation, to her image, and to her evolution as a person. Daniela is not the first transgender person I have met while here in Buenos Aires, but she was the spark that made me think and feel enough to put thoughts into words. People like Daniela are going through a more visible process of change, making it easier for others to judge or criticize. But all of us, well most of us, those who visit a psychologist of psychiatrist weekly, who can't decide on a career path, or on a vacation plan, or a seating arrangement, or a hairstyle, a hobby, a pet, whether to speak up or keep quiet. Those of us who are looking for a partner, or a friend, or a direction or inspiration, or just trying to understand who we are and why we are here. Gosh. You get the idea, no? Some transitions, changes are easier to see than others. But all of us are on the same journey, and realizing that we're not alone, even if it happens during something as superficial and simple as a haircut, can really brighten your day, and make you wonder- why spend so much money on therapy when a 25 peso 'do is all it takes to do the trick.