Man Sues Salon For Charging More For a Male Manicure

Man Sues Nail Salon Over a $10 Manicure

June 20, 2011

A Maryland man is suing a nail salon for $200,000 because last December, he went in for a manicure only to discover that the salon charged one dollar more than what a woman would pay. "I feel I'm being discriminated against based on my gender," customer Norris Sydnor III proclaimed. "There's nothing to say my hands or my nails are any different than a woman's nails."

While a judge has since ordered an injunction that the offender, Rich's Nail Salon, not charge different prices based on gender (they were charging $10 for a man's manicure and $9 for a woman's), we'll learn the final say after the suit goes to trial next month. But here's the thing: Women have been paying more for things like haircuts and dry cleaning for ages, and that's on top of the gender-based wage gap that leaves women earning less than men. So does Sydnor have a case, or is this just a lawsuit waiting to be thrown out?

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Steve wears polish 1 year 32 weeks

It helps to watch the video and look for more info. Apparently, the salon has been sued for this before - that plaintiff was Jimmy Bell, who is the lawyer for this plaintiff. Small world... Anyway, maybe in response to the JB suit, the salon DOES post both prices. So Sydnor should have asked why there is a price difference, and could have chosen not to buy the service. But still, posting separate prices based on gender is discrimintion. (when hands and nails are essentially asexual, and especially when the customer charged more, received less service (no color, no clearcoat))

Steve wears polish 1 year 32 weeks

@photonerd - I seriously doubt that the Plaintiff's salon posted a price for "Men's Manicure - $10" and "Women's Manicure - $9". If they did, he will not have a case. But if the sign or rate sheet simply said "Manicure - $9"... and they charged him $10 instead and explained that the $9 manicure is only available for women... that's discrimination, he'll win. Probably not the $200,000 he seeks, unless it's a major chain.

photonerd 1 year 47 weeks

Wow! are you serious... If he thinks that thats discrimination then im calling bs. So can i sue a salon on there prices that they charge 20$ more on womens haircuts than mens!? Even if some men have long hair!? RIDICULOUS I HOPE THIS MAN DOESNT GET A CENT!!! AND ALSO, HE PAID that manicure and red the prices before he could of walked out on it, he didn't have to get a manicure there, ridiculous! This man is an insult and should not get a cent!!!

BetaBerry 1 year 47 weeks

Most salons will charge more for women's haircuts because most women have much longer hair than men. And women that do have short hair actually have very complex hairstyles, with all sorts of layers and different lengths and whatnot, as opposed to men's cuts which are usually very simple. Even if you're doing just a trim, certain haircuts require a lot of attention so you don't trim all the wrong pieces. That said, if you're paying $45 for, say, a simple bang trim, you need a new salon. Whether this turns out to be a frivolous lawsuit or not, it's also discrimination to dismiss a person's alleged claims based on their sex.

GummiBears 1 year 47 weeks

I wanna see how this plays out.

ModernGraceKelly 1 year 47 weeks

Get a grip, man! Everyone knows that the majority of men have nails that are more dirty and unkempt. I read an article where he stated he was humiliated... why exactly? I'm calling b.s.

pardonmysass 1 year 47 weeks

@nadienne I plead fully to ignorance on many things, however my anecdote was merely an example and as a person who has been to many salons, I can tell you it's rare to find a place that will charge an equal amount for men's haircuts as for women's haircuts and in fact will find that more often than not, women will be charged more, whether it's for a complicated styling, or just a trim. This, as you just said, is discrimination and needs to stop. That is not to say that there is no place for me to go to find a cheaper haircut that suits my needs---I just have yet to find a place that is willing to do that at the same pricing as they would for men. If there are places out there, then I'm glad. Any step in the right direction is wonderful! I totally agree with you there and even said in my own post that if this man is allowed to win a discrimination case, then all forms of sexism needs to be carefully looked at and changed to suit this ideal of equality that we're all fighting for. I have no sympathy for a man who is trying to get $200,000 from a business for charging him $1 more on a manicure. It trivializes the real issue of sexism in this country, as Annie Tomlin stated, which does not help people who have real problems with discrimination. The only thing I think this lawsuit will do is create a precedent for more people to abuse the system to get money. That is the real point I was trying to make, not whether or not I get overcharged for a haircut. However, if this lawsuit finally brings to light the real problems people have, regardless of gender, then I'll consider it a win.

nadienne 1 year 47 weeks

Yeah, but that could be same if a woman hadn't been getting regular manicures, amanda. If that's the issue, then they need to say "extra charge for thick nails/cuticles," and not make a gender distinction. What people consistently fail to understand about discrimination is that it's not justified even if it's been going the other way for years. One dollar of discrimination is NOT justified just because of the wage gap. It isn't. It's still discrimination, and all of it needs to stop. Incidentally, pardonmysass, there's nothing saying you couldn't have paid 11 bucks for your haircut instead of the 45 - and he could have paid 45, if he wanted to. That's a *choice*, not discrimination, and it's ignorant for you to imply otherwise.

amandachalynn 1 year 47 weeks

Mens cuticles and nails can actually be more dense than women's are. If a man hasn't been getting regular manicures and has a ton of cuticle growth, it can take a bit longer than a woman's nails would.

Annie Tomlin 1 year 47 weeks

I think it's a frivolous lawsuit. Things like this frustrate me because they trivialize the very real sexism that women deal with.

pardonmysass 1 year 47 weeks

As a person who used to pay $45 a month to keep a short 'do in check, versus my boyfriend who never paid more than $11 for a haircut in his life, I have absolutely no sympathy for this man. I doubt the manicure pricing was a way for women to discriminate. Usually, when a service is rare, people tend to charge more for it. Men getting manis are not as common as women, so the salon probably charged accordingly. If this man wins his case and gets that money, then changes need to be made on all fronts. Shrink the wage gap and make pricing on all things gender-defined more equal. If that's not what he wants, then he should sit down and shut up.

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