I am apparently behind the times, as I almost got in trouble because I did not
know all the small talk topics to avoid. As an adult, you think you have been around long enough to know this, no, you have to have an app to update you these days!
If you think you are current and have “modern”
clients, your opinion and biases could get thrust in the spotlight. This “modern” demographic includes new parents, students and covert activists.
For your safety, I advise you to extend the list
of topics your boomer parents taught you. Here is a growing list of small talk topics to avoid in the salon and out. Feel free to add more if necessary.
- Politics
- Love life
- Religion
- Botox
- Skin Lightening
- Body Procedures e.g BBL, Rhinoplasty
- Genders
- Pronouns
- Weight
- Colorism
- Conflicts/wars
- Cultural Appropriation
- Colonization
- Immigration /Refugees
- Weather
If you want a stress-free time, try not to be judgemental when you engage with a client as you have no idea what might set them off. In today’s economic environment, it is important to know the new, extensive, small talk topics to avoid.
By Paula Barker, Silkie Locks Hair Design
Books: Filling My Head, Talking Hair, Dreadlocks, A Hairstylist’s Manifest
Call (613) 789-2179 For An Appointment If You Are In The Ottawa, Ontario Area.
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