Hillary Clinton recently received a haircut priced at $600 from a stylist at the John Barrett Salon inside of Bergdorf Goodman in New York City.
The New York Post reported that Clinton’s visit to the Fifth Avenue shop Friday shut down portions of the store, its elevators, and the salon, which typically charges $600 for a haircut and blow dry--nearly 14 times what the average American woman pays for a cut--and an additional $600 for hair color treatment.
"Staff closed off one side of Bergdorf’s so Hillary could come in privately to get her hair done," a source told the publication. "An elevator bank was shut down so she could ride up alone, and then she was styled in a private area of the salon. Other customers didn’t get a glimpse. Hillary was later seen with a new feathered hairdo."
If the Democratic presidential candidate did act as an average customer and pay for the coiffure--representatives for Clinton did not respond to requests for comment--it set her back more than the average American makes in a week.
According to the most recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau, the average yearly income of a person in the United States as of 2013 was $28,155, meaning that each American earns an average of $2346.25 per month, or $586.56 weekly. That’s nearly $14 less than Clinton’s haircut.
And, while it remains unclear whether Clinton’s locks also underwent color treatment, the presidential contender has stressed her years-long habit of coloring her hair, informing the South Carolina Democratic Women's Council in May, "I’m aware I might not be the youngest candidate in this race, but I have one big advantage: I’ve been coloring my hair for years."
Amounting to a bill of $1,200, a typical cut, color and blow dry at the John Barrett Salon would have cost Clinton more than the median income generated by an American household in a week’s time.
The Census Bureau puts the median household income at $53,046 between 2009 and 2013, meaning that an average family earns $4,420.50 monthly and $1,105.13 per week--nearly $100 less than the cost of the hairdo.
It is unclear how much an average patron of the John Barrett Salon spends on tip.