Woman Gets Hairstylist Fired After He Tells Her Daughter She Might Have ‘Labia Lobsters’
An angry mom took to Reddit explaining she had no choice but to get her hairstylist fired after he made a rude sexual comment aimed at her daughter.
The incident occurred at her regular salon, where the woman's entire family had been going for nearly two decades. On this particular occasion, the mom took her daughter, Tia — who is 25, but due to "a cognitive delay" has the "intellectual and emotional capacity" of a 12- to 14-year-old — to the salon for a cut.
The appointment quickly became a disaster after the stylist, Alejandro, discovered Tia had head lice. Instead of saying something quietly to the women, he caused a scene.
"His reaction was so loud and exaggerated, it caused everyone in the salon to stare. He gasped audibly and took two steps back," the mom wrote via Reddit. "Throwing his hands in the air and tilting his hip, he shrieked, 'Oh Jesus! Girrrlll, you're crawling with piojos [lice]! They probably went south, so you better get checked for labia lobsters!'"
The woman's daughter was "dumbstruck" by the outburst.
"She didn't understand the words he was saying, but she sensed his tone," the mom continued. "By the time I got to his booth from the waiting area, her chest was hitching and tears were streaming down her cheeks."
Mortified by the hairdresser's reaction, the woman quickly wrapped a towel around her daughter's head and fled the salon.
"Alejandro and I locked eyes, and I gave him a look of utter disdain," she wrote, explaining that after calming her daughter down, they went to a different salon where she received "lice treatment."
"By the time we got home, I was steaming mad. It haunted me all evening and into my nightmares. The next day, I searched the internet for the name of the salon's CEO," the mom continued. "I called his office and demanded to speak with him. He wasn't available, but his assistant took my complaint and promised to pass it on."
A few months later, after hearing nothing from the salon, she tried to make an appointment for her son to get a haircut — "with anyone but Alejandro."
"So I called to make an appointment. I asked for three different dates, but the stylist who answered the phone (Alicia) told me they were booked. Her tone was curt, which made my 'spider senses' tingle," she shared.
Eventually, she flat out asked Alicia what was wrong. She got an answer she wasn't expecting.
"Her response floored me. She said, 'Yes, something is wrong. You got Alejandro fired. You could have handled it with the store manager, but you didn't. Your family isn't welcome here anymore.' My jaw dropped, and all I could manage was a timid 'okay.' I hung up and began to reflect. Am I the a--hole for reporting Alejandro to the CEO? Am I a Karen?"
Reddit users rallied behind the woman in the comments section. Many noted Alejandro was out of line and insisted the woman should follow up with the CEO about Alicia's behavior as well.
"Call that CEO again, Alicia needs sorting, too. I can't even fathom Alicia's part being true but if it is, she needs to go too. Alejandro is an absolute AH [a--hole] and got what he deserved," one person wrote.
"Also like, the comment was INCREDIBLY inappropriate yes, but there's also the fact that head lice and pubic lice are completely different species. Head lice cannot 'migrate south.' So not only was he rude and inappropriate, he was also insanely uneducated about a topic that I feel like should be a common subject to a hair stylist," another user commented.
According to the Mayo Clinic, pubic lice, commonly referred to as crabs, are "tiny insects found in your genital area. They are a different type of louse from head lice and body lice. Measuring 1/16 inch (1.6 millimeters) or less, pubic lice received their nickname because their bodies resemble tiny crabs."