Edward Moreta
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What are you doing with your hair now?
Right now, I have no idea! I want to keep length on the top and fade the sides.
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How long do you want to have it?
It's not about how long I want to have it, but it's about how long my parents want me to have it. More specifically my mom. In her words, my mom says that she likes black men to be clean cut. She thinks people like J.Cole look dirty and don’t look professional.
Where do you go to get your haircut?
I go to a barber.
How important is the relationship between you and your barber?
One of the most important relationships in my life. I have to have real trust! I started going to a barbershop this summer and that was really hard. Well, when I was in New York, I was a boarder. It was difficult because I couldn’t really go into the city by myself. Also, I didn’t know any barbers out there. So, I had to ask my cousin who is from New York for the name of his barber, and because he cuts my cousin’s hair, I trusted him. I got a new barber this summer. It was nerve wracking because you never know how a barber will cut your hair for the first time. They don’t really know you either. And typically I have a barber for 2-3 years before I get tired of them.
When do you get tired of barbers?
I don’t think I’m going to get tired of this barber to be honest, but I hate inconsistency. When you’re cutting somebody’s hair, you need to be consistent. I used to go to other barbers, and they were really inconsistent. They also didn’t know a lot about styles, but this barber’s dope. He’s good in general with most hair. He’s good with my type of hair.
What’s the barbershop experience like?
Mine is very familial. I typically go on Saturdays, and on those Saturdays they usually play older music for the older barbers that are there. They usually are yelling in between the chairs to each other. It's a very familial atmosphere. We talk sports and politics.
Why is the barbershop such a staple in the black/latinx community?
It's one of the places that are untouched. The industry is untouched by white people because they don’t know about it. It's a family type thing too. You go with your cousin or your brother. It connects people. When I was in New York, I was only one of two black boys in the whole program. One day we took a day and went to the barbershop together. It was one of my most vivid memories. We talked sports and hung out. In a program that was primarily white, we didn’t have that experience. We were surrounded by black men and it was cool.
What does a “fresh cut” look like?
Line-ups on point. It has to be even. No matter what you’re going unless you’re going for it to not be even, but that still has to be nice and crisp.
Bad cut?
You can just tell when someone has a bad haircut. Yeah, you can tell.
Why is a “fresh cut” so important?
It's so important because it's one of the things people look at first. They see your face, and then they see your hair. Your hair is part of the presentation of who you are too.
How does it feel when your hair isn’t looking the way you want it to look?
It is nerve wracking again. Personally, I don’t know how to do my hair. If something doesn’t workout, I’ll just try it again the next day. But, I really don’t stress out about my hair that much. If there is an event that I am going to, or something like that, then maybe.
What are some of the challenges of having your hair like this at a PWI?
I don’t think this is a challenge, but I like when white people say they like how my hair looks when I haven’t done anything to it. When I was boarding, it was challenging because there were no barbershops could do my hair. For people boarding at Milton, a lot of people have to wait until they are at home to get a haircut. No one else could do it. I was in Westchester, New York. So, I took trains into Harlem, but it was hard to get a haircut previously.
What do people say when your hair isn’t on point?
Here? People can’t tell. That's some tea. In middle school, people would get roasted for having naps. The freshman here get on each others’ backs about hair. But, people move on about it a day or two later. It's not serious. Unless your hair gets cut off or something, but even then the hair grew back.
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Products:
I use Maui hair products, I use Shea Moisture, but I don’t use it right now because my hair is short. I also use a sponge when my hair is longer.
Who taught you how to take care of your hair?
Myself. I started experimenting--Google is a good tool. Also word of mouth helps. I would talk to Lucheyla because she’s good at hair. Mostly myself. If I have children, this is something I want to pass on. I want them to learn how to take care of their own hair, so if I have a daughter I can help her.
What is “good hair” societally and for you?
I think it's still changing. Societally, definitely still straightened. My mom’s idea of clean-cut. I like Gambino’s hair, Chadwick Boseman’s, and Michael B. Jordan’s in Black Panther. I’ve always liked Malcolm X’s hair. It’s always been dope. Societally though, in Hollywood, black men get to grow their hair out more. I feel like they have to because they aren’t taken seriously if it's cut short.
Do you ever decide who to hang out with based on someone else’s hair?
As a first impression, probably! If someone has a messed up haircut, I wonder what's going on with his head. But, if I know them, then no. I always play it safe too. So, before college, I’ll wear a regular haircut, and then once people get to know me, I’ll do what I want with it.
Do you ever feel like you have to have your hair cut in a certain way?
Definitely. For graduation, I have to cut it. Completely shaved. For all the pictures. All my family is going to be there. It's a family thing; my family will like it better if it's cut. For 16 ½ years in my life, I’ve felt pressured to do my hair for other people. My hair is short right now, and my mom still will have a heart attack. That's how crazy it is. My brother and I used to have our haircut on the dime every two weeks. In two weeks, are hair really isn’t even growing.
Does your hair reflect your identity?
I’m still figuring myself out. I’m wondering if I can even have that. I see J.Cole, and I’m not even sure if that's a possibility for me.
Why is hair so important in the black community?
It's one of the things that they (white people) cannot even take for real. They can try to take our styles and try to use our products, but they can’t take it.
