Haircuts for the homeless offer cutting-edge looks to those in need

[fizzgig]

A high-end New York hair stylist is getting even higher marks for giving the cutting-edge look to the homeless.

When Mark Bustos isn’t working at Three Squares Studio — which has been praised in GQ, Details and Vanity Fair — he can be found roaming the city streets, offering sophisticated trims to those who need it most.

“There is so much negativity in this world today,” Bustos told TODAY.com via email, “and I just simply wanted to bring some positive energy and hope into this world.”

Bustos said he’s been offering free haircuts to the poor since a May 2012 trip to his family’s native Philippines, where he temporarily rented a barber's chair to offer his services to underprivileged kids. He meant it, he said, as a tribute to his girlfriend’s late father, who used to get his haircuts at that shop.

pics and the rest here

[Aristus]

1. I'm glad he takes before-and-after pics.

It changes people's perceptions of the homeless. Unfortunately (and he's right that appearances matter, and shouldn't) if one sees a bedraggled guy with tangled hair and a matted beard, he will be dismissed as 'homeless'; not even considered human. However, if this same person has well-groomed hair and a good shave, people will see him as human, as relatable, and as employable. This is a good thing.

He's doing God's work.

[Suich]

2. This is a terrific story, fizzgig!

Thanks for posting!