This actually wasn’t supposed to be the subject of this week’s newsletter — but alas, here we are.

From the title, you’ve probably guessed what I’m going to try and make sense of in this week’s email. In case you haven’t seen it, there’s a viral video of a black woman being asked by her hairdresser to leave her appointment. Her hair is half done, with needle and thread hanging from her head — and it’s all because the client, the woman who posted the video, told the stylist she was cold.

I’ve seen countless thought pieces (and memes) on TikTok about the incident. It’s been a hot topic for me and my girlfriends on WhatsApp, on the phone, and even face to face. We’ve all talked about the anxiety (yes, that was the word we used) that creeps in when we try to branch out and visit a new salon.

One girlfriend made me laugh when she said she literally starts shaking when she sees late fees and cancellation policies — and always ends up going back to the aunties in Peckham, because she doesn’t want that kind of stress just to get her hair done.