Floyd’s 99 on Clark: A Personal Experience with the Strange
Floyd’s 99 2572 N. Clark St. Chicago, IL 60614 (773) 325–2704
Heterotopias are strange places.
Earlier this year, on a Saturday morning I went to Floyd’s 99 for a haircut. And entered a heterotopia…
Today I will discuss a heterotopia and give its precise address but there are three general types…
Heterotopia is a concept with multiple meanings:
Philosophy
Philosopher Michel Foucault used the term to describe spaces that are “other”, such as cultural, institutional, or discursive spaces that are disturbing, intense, or contradictory.
Foucault believed that heterotopias are worlds within worlds that mirror and yet upset what is outside. He also theorized that heterotopias can be sites of resistance, where people enact “informal” activities to resist state and finance capital practices.
Medicine
In medicine, heterotopia refers to tissue or organs in abnormal locations. For example, neurons can develop in the brain’s ventricle walls, known as choristoma. Types include periventricular nodular heterotopia, subcortical heterotopia, and band or laminar heterotopia.
Symptoms may include developmental delays, brain malformations, heart and lung issues, seizures, motor skill loss, and intellectual disability. Sometimes, heterotopia is found incidentally during brain scans without causing symptoms.
The ventricles are four brain cavities that produce and contain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). They include the two lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle. These ventricles cushion the brain and spinal cord, remove waste, and provide nutrients.
Professional Wrestling
Kayfabe originates from professional wrestling, where it refers to the portrayal of events within the industry as real, despite being scripted and staged.
Wrestlers and promoters maintain kayfabe by presenting matches and storylines as genuine to create an immersive experience for the audience. This concept extends beyond wrestling and can be applied to various societal and cultural phenomena.
I definitely encountered a kind if resistance… but I wasn’t certain what kind of resistance or a resistance to what part of objective reality.
What I can say for certain is that objectively I walked of Floyd’s 99 $40 poorer and with no hair cut at all.
Background
Roland Barthes, a French literary theorist and philosopher, explored the nature of signs and symbols in culture. His seminal work, “Mythologies,” delves into how everyday objects and events are imbued with cultural meaning. Barthes argued that these cultural myths shape our perception of reality, often masking the true nature of things.
Kayfabe as a Cultural Myth: Barthes’ theory helps us understand kayfabe as a cultural myth. In professional wrestling, kayfabe creates a mythic narrative where wrestlers embody archetypal characters, and their scripted battles reflect larger-than-life conflicts. The audience suspends disbelief, engaging with the mythos as if it were real, despite knowing on some level that it is fabricated. This duality is central to Barthes’ idea of how myths function in society, presenting a constructed reality that is accepted and consumed as genuine.
Earlier this year, on a Saturday morning I went to Floyd’s 99 for a haircut. It was a spontaneous decision, but I did make an appointment that morning, and it completely changed my understanding of the definition of the “Real”.
The place was busy, but I did make an appointment that morning. Patrick, an “experienced” hairstylist, and barber with a cosmetology and barber’s license, took me in.
Patrick introduced himself by saying,
“Hi! I’m Patrick Vincent- an experienced hairstylist and barber, with a cosmetology and barber’s license. I am dedicated to staying updated on the latest trends to provide my clients with the best experience. I offer services like fades, tapers, line-ups, designs, long layer cuts, and more. Explore my work on Instagram @patrickfades.”
However, I realized, shortly after being secured in the chair, that Patrick could only shave hair; he couldn’t cut anything with scissors. Yes, he acted as though he was cutting hair but he was pretending. Not a single hair on my head was cut that day.
For about 15 minutes, he performed a kind of kayfabe hair cutting, moving the scissors without cutting.
This was observed by other staff, including Scarlett, who said,
“Greetings to all ;) I’m Scarlett, I have been licensed for 10 years and counting. I love being behind the chair and boosting the confidence of my clients. I am dedicated to making people feel awesome! I am able to execute any style. Book your appointment today! I’ll see you in my chair!” It seemed everyone knew Patrick was special.
During the farcical haircut, where I attempted to guide Patrick to cut at least an outline of my sideburns Patrick foundered. Having been exposed he felt uncomfortable and offered to reduce my fee to $25 and suggested I leave.
Frustrated, having gone home I was still in a bit of shock. And when Floyd’s 99 sent me a text with a prompt for a review, I left a very negative review…Then, more followed.
Isaac, the manager and barber, called me back, introducing himself,
“Hello, my name is Isaac, Manager/ Barber. Licensed barber since 2011. California transplant since 2010. Efficient and fast, skills include free-hand Clipper/Sheer work, Fades and Tapers, Line-Ups, Beard Services, Straight razor shaves.”
Isaac was wondering in not too many friendly terms or admitting any fault, why my revue was negative.
I explained. But then what followed was very strange.
Isaac refused to accept responsibility for what may be called “Kayfabe” but offered another cut with a different stylist without even a discount. When I insisted it should be free, Isaac was aghast and disgusted. Next time you need a medical procedure, Patrick or Isaac, consider what would happen if while under anesthesia the OR personal acted like you did. You would wonder if that scar actually implied that your appendix was out and would not explode next time you had gas.
And while I reiterated, Patrick stood his ground…in a very affected yet completely pragmatic argumentative style.
The situation turned into gaslighting, with questions about how I allowed Patrick to get away with it…”what was I thinking” and how improbable this…my story was. And I must agree, heterotopias are not logical.
Explanation Using Abelian Algebra and Symplectic Manifolds
This situation can be understood by recruiting Abelian algebra and symplectic manifolds. In Abelian algebra, the order of operations does not affect the outcome, symbolizing how different actions or perceptions in the shop could be interchanged without altering the end experience of confusion and frustration. Each stylist and their actions can be viewed as nodes in an Abelian group, where their independent actions (cuts, shaves, kayfabe performances) collectively contribute to the overall experience, regardless of the sequence. So a good hair cut with a performance during or following is par for the course since the outcome remains unchanged, ie all actions add up to 1 or my hair gets cut. But a performance without a hair cut does not add up to 1, or a haircut, regardless of when the performance occurred.
Symplectic manifolds offer another perspective by treating the barbershop as a dynamic system where different elements (staff actions, customer reactions, managerial responses) interact continuously. In this context, Patrick’s and Scarlett’s performances and Isaac’s managerial decisions are interdependent and create a complex, interrelated environment.
Each event or action influences the others, just as changes in a symplectic manifold affect the entire structure.
However, defending the indefensible breaks the rules and probabilities of a coherent experience. The overall experience does not add up or make any sense if we assume that all experiences should collectively add up to 100% or a complete whole “1”.
This disjointed experience at Floyd’s exemplifies how, despite the theoretical framework of combining independent actions into a cohesive whole, the practical reality sometimes fails to achieve this balance. The elements of the experience at Floyd’s, though interrelated, do not sum to a satisfactory or logical outcome, reflecting a failure in the practical application of these mathematical principles.
Postmodernism challenges traditional narratives and structures, emphasizing the fluidity of meaning and the constructed nature of reality. Heterotopia, a concept introduced by Michel Foucault, refers to spaces that exist outside of regular societal norms, where alternate realities or truths coexist. In today’s postmodernist heterotopic society, kayfabe becomes increasingly relevant as the lines between reality and fiction blur.
Kayfabe in Media and Politics: In the contemporary world, kayfabe extends beyond entertainment into media and politics. News media and political rhetoric often create narratives that, while rooted in fact, are shaped to evoke particular emotions or reactions. These narratives are consumed by the public as truths, despite their constructed nature. This phenomenon can be seen in the way political figures maintain certain personas or how media outlets frame stories to fit specific agendas.
Social Media and Personal Branding: Social media platforms are modern arenas for kayfabe, where individuals curate their identities and lives to present an idealized version of reality. Influencers and celebrities often engage in performative authenticity, crafting personas that appear genuine but are meticulously planned and executed. The audience, aware of the performative aspect, still engages with and validates these constructed identities.
Corporate and Professional Environments: In workplaces, kayfabe manifests in corporate cultures and professional roles. Employees and managers may adopt certain behaviors and attitudes that align with the company’s values or expectations, even if these do not reflect their true selves. This performative aspect maintains the facade of a cohesive and aligned organizational culture, similar to how wrestlers uphold kayfabe to preserve the integrity of the narrative.
Floyd’s on Clark
Imagine a person who goes to Floyd’s to get a hair cut ahead of an interview. They may be homeless, or simply poor, or they may be under other financial and social pressures and they need a hair cut. But on Monday having been charged all their money on Saturday, they have no hair cut and no money or time to get one, and they don’t get the job because they look unprofessional.
At Floyd’s 99, the concept of kayfabe is evident in the way staff and management maintain the illusion of competence and professionalism, despite underlying flaws. And the concept of responsibility is alien to them like Patrick’s performance of cutting hair without actually doing so, or Isaac’s acting above me or my concerns or anything else that may be considered real. The behavior tacitly endorsed by Scarlett and other staff, creates a constructed reality for the customer. This kayfabe extends to Isaac’s managerial response, where the facade of accountability and customer care is maintained despite the failure to address the actual problem.
In this context, Floyd’s operates as a heterotopic space where the constructed reality of competent service and customer satisfaction coexists with the underlying dysfunction and performative acts. The customer, much like the audience of a wrestling match, is invited to engage with this constructed reality, even if it does not fully align with the truth. The alternative is being accused of fabrication, being inauthentic, and being alienated after having your money taken from you without even attempt at an apology or other mitigating gestures.
