As a young British army recruit, she was told her cropped hairstyle did not meet regulations and would have to go. The “traumatic” shave was not the only time Palfrey had struggled because her hairstyle did not meet norms: she has frequently been turned away by barbers who do not cater to women in a business riven with gendered divides.
Those experiences led her to launch an app offering cuts for all without the baggage of gender stereotypes, part of a growing movement towards unisex and LGBTQ+ inclusive hairdressing. “Haircuts are really important to me and to most people in the LGBT community, because it’s a way of expressing ourselves,” said 27-year-old Palfrey, who is a lesbian and still wears her reddish-brown hair short. “I absolutely