First of all, let me preface this post by saying that I have never been formerly diagnosed with OCD but I know I have all of the symptoms, so at least I know I am not in denial. I have certain quirks that many of my friends have pointed out that are clear signs of OCD.
Some indications as to my condition include counting my steps, washing my hands a bit more than the norm, and also, the biggie is that in restaurants I never use their silverware; instead I carry my own plastic fork (or ask them for one, they always do because of their “to-go” orders). I argue with my friends that it is not necessarily an OCD sign but that the main reason for my utensil oddity is because I once was having lunch at a restaurant and I was just about to dig in to my chicken fried steak that I had ordered but right before I started eating. I caught a glimpse of my fork and found the remnants of somebody else’s lunch on it! Yuck!!!
Little did I know however, that because of the restaurant staff’s untidy habits it would give way to how I would eat my meals at diners from then on. I was immediately grossed out and never finished my meal. Soon after this incident, I started carrying my own plastic forks and began to be ridiculed by my friends.
I was not deterred by their actions, my thinking is that I would rather have a clean fork to eat as opposed to always question whether or not the tool is indeed clean. See? Not a clear OCD diagnosis, right? My OCD symptoms spilled out one day when I was going to get a haircut.
When I was waiting to be the next client to be seated in the barber chair to get a cut I noticed that the cape being used was old and that the part around the neck had seen better days. Although my barber was using a neck strip, a strip of paper used around the neck in order to catch hair and the client not to itch, I glanced at his co-worker and he was NOT using a neck strip for his clients! YUK!!! Who would want to wear a haircutting cape that had just been used on someone that had been sweating for hours before you?
It was then that I looked into how expensive it would be for me to have my own cape. What if I carried my own personalized cape to have my hair cut?
As I did some research into the capes being used and what colors, designs and materials were available, I discovered something interesting. Many barbers wanted better capes. They were unhappy with the capes that were available. I dug deeper and surveyed many barbers into what they would want their capes to be like. I considered…
- What colors would the barbers prefer?
- What colors would stylists prefer?
- Would barber want their capes to have Velcro or snaps?
- What materials would be optimal?
Mane Caper was born from all of these questions, but more importantly from my OCD.
Thank you OCD!
