BKaF – Brad Kovach and Friends

I was making conversation with my barber and asked him if he used the mirror for the same reasons as artists. Aside from being stylish decor, here are the reasons mirrors are used in barber shops and salons.

1. Illusion

   Mirrors take potentially small barber shops and make them appear huge. It’s no secret: recycle photons with a mirror, and you’ll have an opened atmosphere to sooth the claustrophobic in you.

2. Error-checking

   I’ve heard from several sources (my artistic cousin, the arbiter of truth and now, my barber) that mirrors are useful to discover creative errors. Barbers are taught to check their work in mirrors for this reason. MC Escher, my artistic cousin, and of course your barber are users of the mirror in their artistic creations (your haircut?).

3. Omni-presence

   This strategy surprised me. Mirrors within barber shops are used to create an illusion that the barber is everywhere. In cases where customers are waiting for a haircut, the omnipresence is especially important so they can see that the barber is in fact working toward cutting their hair… For the person in the chair, he (or she) is physically unable to see the barber who is behind him (or her).

So there you have it. It’s the barber shop mirror story.

By the way, it’s my birthday (I’ll be 18) next Tuesday. You should buy me something.

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