Three People In A Barbershop

When I was walking in Jakarta, I saw a barbershop on the corner of the city. I wondered if it was because it was a weekday afternoon. There was no customer, and the barbershop didn't seem to be busy. Inside the shop were the barber, his friend, and a boy, each of whom was having a leisurely time.

I looked at the back wall and saw pictures of several men. Hair catalogs. Apparently, this was a barbershop for men. Come to think of it, I've seen many barbershops in India, Myanmar, and other countries, but they were all geared toward men. In every barbershop, there were only men as customers. I wondered where women were getting their hair cut. I wondered if there were barbershops for women in the quiet places where I could not see them as I was wandering around town. I'm not sure.

When I pointed my camera into the languid atmosphere of the barbershop, the proprietor of the barbershop struck a self-conscious pose with his cigarette-carrying hand on the chair. The man, sitting with his back to me, laughed at it. And the boy who had been munching on a snack was hiding in the shadows and staring at us.