Lost in front of the mirror, the beauty of comparing ourselves

Hello, through my work as a hairdresser,
I feel I have witnessed many people's "uncertainties about beauty."

"I want my face to look smaller."
"I want to be like that person I saw on social media."
"I feel like I've aged somehow."

Every one of these words is very honest,
and I believe these are feelings that can arise in anyone's heart.

However, deep down, I feel that without realizing it,

we let too many "other people's standards" in,
and find ourselves trapped in a perspective of only comparing ourselves to others.

A heart that has compared too much is simply a little tired.

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We live in an era where it is easy to compare.
If you open your smartphone, curated beauty and
perfected atmospheres flow by as if they were the norm.

Even if you aren't conscious of it,
it might be natural for your heart to react by thinking,
"What about me?"

But, if you keep comparing yourself to others,
I think your own sense of self gradually drifts away.

Instead of "how I want to be,"
"how I am perceived" takes precedence,
and the standard for beauty is placed outside of yourself.

When I look at customers sitting in front of the mirror,
I think what is truly painful
is not that they are inferior to someone else,

but rather that they are in a state where they can no longer accept themselves as they are right now.

Of course, I have those moments myself, and I think everyone has such parts of themselves.

When I encounter such moments,
I often think:

What this person needs right now is not a major change, but
to stop for a moment and "get back in tune."

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In the field of psychology, there is research suggesting that forest bathing and natural sounds can alleviate the effects of lookism.

It is said that this is because
it quietly brings you back from
"the self that compares to others"

to "the self that exists as a part of nature."

In nature, there is no need to compare yourself to anyone.

Tall trees and short grasses,
each is breathing in its own place.

There is no superiority or inferiority there,
only the feeling of "being" remains.

That stillness of heart
changes your expression, changes the luster of your hair,
and changes the light in your eyes.

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Sometimes, even in the salon, I have witnessed similar changes many times.

I wonder if a hair salon is not just a place to tidy up one's appearance,
but also a place to reboot the heart.

I believe that the "rich life" we are aiming for
is exactly what lies on the extension of this kind of inner stillness.

We are designing our salon with a focus on making you feel that "nature" mentioned earlier.

Eliminating digital items as much as possible,
and using interiors with few objects, simple and gentle colors.

The background music is carefully curated with music and white noise.
(I will summarize these details in another article)

This kind of worldview that we aim for
might be one of the reasons why customers continue to choose us.
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Hair quality, bone structure, head shape.

These are not flaws to be fixed,
but rather traces of the time that person has lived until now.
Instead of forcing changes upon them,

try to look at the current state with care.

Even without changing more than necessary,
natural beauty that is unique to that person

is not about becoming like someone else,
but about being able to quietly accept, "This is who I am right now."
And change and growth lie beyond that.
First, try letting go of comparing, even if just a little bit.

Value your own senses.

From there, the next step will naturally emerge.

Beauty may not be a competition, but a recovery. Creating time to return to yourself in front of the mirror.
That is the essence of my work.

May someone be a little freer today

from "the self that compares."

I continue to face the joy with my customers again today.
Thank you as always.

Thank you for reading until the end.

Have a great day today.