Humans Are Encountered

Hair Cuts

Zork'ak was standing behind Adam in his quarters, watching Adam through the reflective piece on the wall.

"What is it that you do?"

"You just take this," Adam held up a small black device, "flip it on," he slid a button up and a small buzzing noise emitted from the device, "and then I just run it over my hair."

"What is the purpose in this?"

"I just don't like having hair."

"But isn't hair an evolutionary factor? To keep you all warm?"

"Well, it was, but for the most part, we don't have as much hair as before. We have much better clothing and lodging so we don't need it."

"Why is your hair shaved if Steve's is not? Is it a male ritual?"

"On Earth people tend to associate short hair with males but no. Anyone can have short hair."

"I still do not understand why you would interrupt the process that your body is going through. If your body had evolved to grow hair, then why would you cut it off."

"I just don't like it. It gets too hot, and it feels heavy. I also don't like taking care of it or styling it, and I feel like I look better with my hair shaved."

"It is a...uh," Zork'ak was trying to remember a word Adam had taught xem, "'fashion' choice."

Adam chuckled. "Yes, it is a choice I make about how I look."

"Are you going to show me how it works?" Zork'ak gestured to the small device that was still buzzing.

"Oh, yeah. So all you do is run the razor over the hair." Adam slid the device up against his head and a large clump of dark hair fell to the ground. He repeated the process all over his head, small fibers of hair falling and catching on surfaces and fabrics, even on Zork'ak's scales. The tiny pieces seemed impossible to wipe off.

"This is quite a mess."

Adam shrugged. "Yeah, it can be. At least all I do is cut mine. Dye is a much bigger mess."

"Dye?"

"Yes. People will change the color of their hair in addition to cutting it."

"To better blend to an environment?"

"Oh, no. People will do these vibrant colors, pinks and blues and greens."

"That makes little sense. What purpose would that serve?"

"A fashion choice."

"This 'fashion' seems to bring no benefit."

Adam shrugged again. "Sometimes people like to change the way they look."

"Why is that? It does not help in any physical or environmental way."

"Because we're humans, we're vain."

"Adam, you use many words that are not within a Klyl's vocabulary."

Adam laughed at that. "It means we worry about how we look all the time. Its purpose was originally to attract others, but most of the time it's just because we want others, even not potential mates, to think we look good."