Every week a different FADER staff member will pick a clothing item or accessory that he or she has lately been spending a lot of time with—or would like to—and write a little love letter to it. We would’ve done a column on who we’re dating but that seemed a little bit much. This week Whitman talks about Sweet Georgia Brown Pomade.
I'm always late. No matter where I'm going, what I'm doing, or who it is I'm supposed to meet, it's pretty much guaranteed that I will not be on time. At this point, it's not even fashionable, it is a lifestyle. The habits and choices I have made, which make me who I am, also cause me to be constantly running behind. While many factors contribute, none burden me more than doing my hair. Yet, it is one act to which I am completely committed and cannot, will not stop doing. My hair must be perfect. It must not be out of place. It must stay in place. It must be done everyday. Describing this behavior can only be done with negative words: pretentious, self-absorbed, insecure, obnoxious, etc. But I do not care. I like myself better and feel more confident when my hair looks the way I want it to.
If I've made any progress in speeding up my daily ritual, it's because of Sweet Georgia Brown pomade, the one in the purple tin. Traditionally, pomade comes in two different types: the classic, stronger petroleum-based, and the newer, cleaner, water-based, but SGB has actually combined a water soluble formula with a petroleum one. You can't have it be too stiff, too sticky but a perfectionist like myself also can't let it be too loose. Sweet Georgia Brown understands that the perfect pomade requires perfect balance. I can rinse the greasy sheen out of my hair by dipping my head under the sink when I get home, but the petroleum keeps the shape, which I spend so much time trying to perfect, intact. It even holds itself together through my shower the next morning, saving me precious minutes that I desperately need to get places that seem to be important. It probably won't be tomorrow, but one day, I'm going to get to where I need to be going right on time, and my hair will be immaculate.