Beauty Parlor

I was inspired to photograph beauty parlors by my mother. My mother had been going to Midge’s Beauty Parlor for the past thirty years. Every Saturday like clock work she would go to Midge to get her hair done. My mother always spoke about Midge like she was a religious figure, a saint perhaps, even though we are Jewish. I became curious and one day came with her to meet Midge, the legend herself. My mother introduced me to Midge and all the other “girls” who were getting their hair done. Midge made the women feel extremely beautiful and radiant no matter their age. I realized the beauty parlor was not only a place where my mother gets her hair done; it is a place where her soul is renewed. Each beauty parlor that I have photographed had its own social culture complete with coffee, donuts, gossip, cures for ailments and counseling. In this age of trendy hair salons, there is something sacred in the simplicity and nostalgia of photographing beauty parlors