“In addition to its status as a meeting place, the barbershop culture also functioned as an intricate and often conflicting sphere of the larger world. It is an environment that can bolster self-pride and be supportive as well as a place where phony men can be destroyed, or at least highly shamed, from participation in verbal contests and other contests of skill. It is a retreat, a haven, an escape from the daily tribulations and family imperious routine. It is a place where men can be men and shape a manhood stature”.
