10
Loading video...
By Lollie Hancock
Beauty and Self Care Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
TikTok has led users down rabbit holes of content, with hours spent scrolling through videos we usually wouldn't find ourselves watching.
With beauty being one of the biggest subcategories on the social media app, it's hardly surprising that some unconventional content has become hugely popular, including consultation videos.
Consultation videos are a sub-genre of hair content, most commonly showing a client and their hairstylist discussing plans for the hair appointment. Whilst on paper this type of content may seem mundane, #hairconsultation has gained over 2.2 billion views on TikTok, proving an audience appetite. The content has proved so popular that hair stylists like James Busby are racking up millions of views through sharing client consultations in videos like the one above.
Read More on Beauty and Fashion
...
To help shed some light on why this style of content is proving so popular, hair care brand Rossano Ferretti enlisted mindset psychologist Dr Ritz Birah to delve deeper into why we're hooked on consultation content.
Birah explained, "Watching videos like hair consultations gives rise to so many things from escapism, relaxation, education, and inspiration. It also plays into emotional dynamics and human behavior."
She touched on how many people use their hair, nail, and other beauty appointments as a form of mental care as well as physical, often using their therapist or stylist as a sounding board. She said, "People often refer to their hairdresser as their therapist, someone they confide and share their internal world with. You can see that there is emotional vulnerability in these types of videos."
The emotional vulnerability from those sat in the salon chair is often what keeps us from scrolling on. Birah explained: "Clients often share personal stories. This display of vulnerability can evoke empathy and compassion from viewers, highlighting the universal experience of what it means to be human."
It's not just stories from clients either, as hair can often be a physical representation of our lives, choices, and experiences, telling its own story.
Birah said, "Hair can carry stories of identity exploration; it is a choice we make and how we choose to present ourselves to the world. Consultations often involve discussions about self-expression, personality, and desired aesthetics.
"Viewers may reflect on their own relationship with their hair, their personalities and how it contributes to their sense of identity and self-worth. We could take this a step further and think about how body image and beauty are likely to play a role in this. It provides an opportunity to examine perceptions of beauty and body image."
In short, seeing a wide range of people sitting through their consultations champions the fact we all look different, rather than amplifying societal standards. "By observing diverse clients with different hair types and concerns, viewers may challenge societal beauty standards and appreciate the unique beauty in individuality," Birah said.
It's not just the client that keeps us hooked—Birah shared that the hairstylists themselves are a key component of the content, explaining: "Overall, watching it from start to finish, you are likely to experience a sense of vicarious mastery by witnessing skilled individuals demonstrate their expertise, which can be psychologically rewarding.
"If you look at the relationship between the client and hairdresser, they are placing a level of trust in their hands to change their image. Through the interpersonal interactions, we witness sharing suggestions as they go through a decision-making process before coming to an end result."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines