Buck the hair trends, Hek!

I have to say that in the top panel of today's strip, I kind of agree with Hekkie' mom. It's not that Hekkie's hair is disgusting, but it needs something. Just hanging there, it looks stupid. But may that's how the kids wore it in the 60s. Honestly, though, I think Hekkie should just blaze his own trail and not follow the current hair trends, because they do not work for him. Some guys look great with shaved heads, but he isn't one of them. And is it really a trend? Maybe amongst guys who are balding, but we have no way of knowing whether that's the case when it comes to Hekkie.

That all being said, it did make me laugh. Which is good, particularly for a Monday.

You DO need to say more

One of the biggest problems with today's strip is that it's labeled as "sign of the times," and yet everyone in it looks like they belong in 1956. Just having the kid say "like" and "awesome" doesn't make him contemporary. Of course, I don't get this at all. So is the implication that the popular hairstyle today is insanely short? Is that...bad? And what does the "Tomahawk cut" remark mean? It looks like someone who's been scalped?

I just don't know. Al, you continue to confuse.

He is 14 going on 15...

OK, there is no way that the kid in today's strip is either 14 or 15. He looks maybe 10. Every now and then Al shows that he can actually draw people somewhat well, but for the most part, we get this. The strip itself doesn't make sense. It would be fine with just the "You're too young to go!"/"You're old enough to do that!" contrast. Honestly, as drawn, if I were Junior, I'd wondering whether my mom knew how old I was. I can see how this situation might be frustrating, but there's a huge difference between going to a concert and being able to keep your room neat. But seriously, if my kid looked like that, I wouldn't let him go to a concert, either. Oh, and Mom, here's a thought--let him go to the concert if he keeps his room neat. See how that works? (I'm a great mother in a hypothetical world.) What's particularly disturbing is how the mother's hair recedes a few inches between the two panels. Scary!

I had considered commenting on yesterday's strip, until I looked and noticed that it was just about waiting at the doctor's office. Shocking new material. So I'm skipping it.

I didn't even realize I had a "hair" tag

I just don't get today's strip. Usually the hypocrisy in TDIETland is a tad more subtle--Fignewt is upset at his wife for spending money on her hair, but then he blows a ton of money on his clothes. Or something. I suppose the reason that it's so blatant is because it was sent in by a barber; he probably saw wives get scolded for spending money at his place, then the husbands come in and get the full treatment. Though it's not often that a "barber" would offer expensive frills; when I think "barber," I think your basic shop where a man can go in and get a shave and a haircut. The kind of place depicted in the strip would employ "hairdressers."

This bothers me, though, because as soon as Fignewt got home from the salon, his wife should tear him apart. He obviously knows that the hairdresser doesn't simply "comb your hair." It's been a while, but this kind of strip annoys me. The wife just needs to not accept that kind of crap treatment from her husband.

And why are the people who work at his salon all French?

That all having been said, I did kind of chuckle at "Headicare."

I wouldn't get a haircut from a guy whose hair looks like Flavio's

Ah, today's strip is yet another that elicits a "Nope, never happened to me." Because, no, I've never washed my hair in a sink (particularly when there is a shower right there next to it) and I've certainly never had a hairdresser tell me that I need to wash my hair. Usually we chat a bit about what I want done, then go get it washed.

That being said, I kind of get what A. Rodsky is saying. It's like when you scrub down your apartment and then your mom comes over and is all, "The place looks nice. It'd look nicer if it had been cleaned." Or really, when anything you do is pretty much overlooked. This situation is just a lot more insulting.

Kudos to Al for the drawing of the wife in the top panel. She actually looks young. Quite a bit younger than her husband, but whatever. I have to give Al credit whenever he manages to portray someone who doesn't look 47. Also, I love the name Flavio.

But really, "topmop"? I object.