On what must be a very slow news day, the Washington Post features a longish story on C1 about Joseph Torrenueva, the hair stylist at the heart of the story that won’t go away about John Edwards’ expensive haircuts.
It seems that Torrenueva is a very accomplished at his craft and has thus been sought out by the celebrities “from Marlon Brando to Bob Barker.” As such, demand is high and he can charge $175 for cuts done in the shop. He charges Edwards much more, varying from $400 to as much as $1250, because he has to travel and miss out on several $175 haircuts to accommodate Edwards’ campaign schedule.
For his part, Edwards — who is stinking rich and doesn’t pay his own bills, anyway — had no idea how much he had been paying and was embarrassed when the news came out. Consequently, he fibbed and downplayed the nature of his relationship with Torrenueva, dismissing him as “that guy” (Not to be confused with “that woman, Ms. Lewinsky”). This hurt Torrenueva’s feelings but he still likes Edwards, anyway.
As someone who wears his hair military short and seldom pays more than $20 for a haircut (and generally much less), I understand why people think the story’s funny. The video below is amusing
despite the fact that most of us would look pretty funny if taped unaware while combing our hair.
Still, as an objective matter, Edwards can afford lavishly expensive haircuts and he’s got to look his best given that he’s a public figure who appears constantly on television. And, given the simple economics involved, the amounts in question are quite reasonable. (Again, I wouldn’t pay even the in-store rate of $175 for a haircut; but that’s what the man’s time is worth on the open market.)
There are plenty of reasons not to elect John Edwards president. Judging from the polls, the Democratic nominating electorate agrees. His hair care habits, however, are not among them.
