People are just realizing the morbid meaning behind iconic barber's pole
Niamh Shackleton
Featured Image Credit: Getty Stock Images
If you've ever wondered what the striped pole outside a barbershop symbolizes, you're not alone.
What we today think of as barbershops date all the way back to the 1800s, with 1805's Truefitt & Hill in London recognized as the world's oldest barbershop by the Guinness World Records.
We've all seen the red, white and possibly blue striped pole outside of traditional barbershops.
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They've become somewhat the norm in many places so it's likely you've never really questioned why they're there and what they mean; however, if you were intrigued to know, the barbershop staple has quite a morbid background.
Once upon a time, barbers weren't just equipped to dress men's head and facial hair, but to do bloodletting and other medical procedures.
If, like me, you've never heard of bloodletting before, it's a medical procedure that involves removing blood from a patient to treat or prevent illness.
While official barbershops didn't open until the 1800s, barbering services are thought to date back to the ancient Egyptians.
At one point in history, bloodletting was performed by Monks but after Pope Alexander III in 1163 prohibited clergymen from doing it, barbers added it to their list of services since they had the sharp equipment needed, explains History.com.
Some barbers would take their medical services further and also do things like pull teeth, set bones and treating wounds.
But what does all this have to do with striped barber's pole, I hear you ask? Well, the red and white stripes are apparently a nod to the blood that used to be let by barbers back in the day - the red being for the blood, and the white being for the bloodied bandages.
In Europe you'll find that such poles are only white and red, while in the States they have red, white and blue barber's poles.
It's not totally clear why they have blue, but one theory is that is that the color is symbolic of the veins cut during bloodletting. Ew.
A less gruesome suggestion is that the blue was added for patriotic purposes to match the American flag.
The news of the barber pole's origins have left people stumped on Reddit, with many admitting that they've only just learnt about it.
"[Today I learned] that the barber pole became the universal symbol for barbers as it resembles the bloody bandages of 'barber-surgeons' of the past, who practiced bloodletting," someone said.
The post sparked others to share the theories they've heard over the years, with one writing: "The way I've heard it, red for blood, white for shaving foam, and in some cases, blue for water."
"I heard it was literally just because movement catches the eye and it's a simple design that draws your attention," added another.