Autism

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There's no requirement, and there's no reason a white person can't go to a black barbershop, but black people's hair is often much different to cut than most white people's hair, and preferred styles quite different.

It's not so much "this barber is for black people" and more so "this barber is owned by black people, so black people can assume they'll be given the experience they're looking for"

Black people have different hair from other races, many times non-black folks don't know how to accommodate these textures. Beyond that, historically, the barbershop in Black communities is a meeting place. People gather to discuss current events, politics, pop culture, and life in general. In this space, everyone is on the same footing. It's a cultural thing, so there is a distinction.

I'm not Black, so take that into consideration. What I've heard is that while hair-cutting skill is a factor, it's not just about that. Barbershops have historically served a social function within the Black community that carries on to this day. Here's a source.

From what I’ve seen in Australia, it’s the different hair texture and knowledge/methods to style/cut it.

Black people have different hair than other races so it requires a specific skillset not all barbers have aquired. Also the black American community puts a lot of value in their haircuts. Because of that black barbershops are not only a place where you get your hair cut but also an important meeting place in the community with huge cultural importance.

Btw I'm a white German who's never been to the US who got all his information about black barbershops from media so if someone better informed than me chips in I'd rather listen to them than me if I were you.

Because the hair is different. It's not necessary, but it's a common thing that barbers know how to cut hair similar to their own the best. I know first hand what happens if the barber isn't used to hair that is unusual.

I'll just say, apparently a military cut is hard to do for some people when the hair this thick

As a white dude with extremely curly hair...yeah, kinda. Curly hair must be cut a certain way, otherwise it turns into a frizzball that you can't fix. And the tighter the curls, the harder it is to cut it properly.

I haven't gotten a haircut in nearly 5 years since I decided to embrace the curls. I'm strongly considering just going to a black barbershop just because of the horror stories I've heard about other shops cutting curly hair.

Black barbershop are different because black people generally have tight curly hair, which requires different skills and techniques to cut than straight hair.

Americans still feel it's weird, while I grew up with almost only Turkish barbershops in the Netherlands and here it's mostly Indians. The only barbershop I went to in the US was a black barbershop and it was fully worth it. Biggest difference is that they take the time for you, you can have a nice chat etc. Definitely a lot more expensive than in Europe though.