Don't Hate Us Because We Have Beautiful Hair

As fate would have it, Tyler and I are both hair models. Most of you won't be surprised to hear this since you've seen, touched, or smelled our hair. Or all three. But while you are not surprised, you may not know the details of our hair modeling days. It's obvious that Tyler would have wanted to marry me the instant he found out about my modeling experience, but as it turns out, I had never told him the story until just a few weeks ago.

My experience began when I was 18 and a freshman at UT (hook 'em horns) and Tyler was also a freshman (Murrieta Valley High, go Night Hawks!). One Friday afternoon I walked out of my last class of the day around noon to discover that it was raining pretty hard. I had about five blocks to walk to my car with no umbrella. I was irritated because I had fixed my hair and put on makeup that day and didn't want my efforts to be ruined. I put my jacket over my head and started walking down Guadalupe Street towards my car. About halfway there (near the old UT Co-op), a man with an umbrella and a microphone stopped me to ask me a few questions. I obliged since he had an umbrella and I wanted to be helpful to what appeared to be some college students doing a class project. First the man asked me about my major and how I liked college. Then he asked if I was currently using a two-in-one conditioner. I replied that I didn't and then he asked if I would be willing to get my hair washed with a two-in-one shampoo and conditioner.

By the time he had started inquiring about my grooming habits, three cameras had appeared and were all pointed on me. I still believed this to be some kind of university project, so I asked about the location of the sink, he pointed to the parking lot behind the University Co-op bookstore, and I agreed. They had me fill out a release to use the video on t.v. without giving me further compensation beyond the $50 I was apparently going to receive for the washing. Then they took me to the sink, video taped me while getting my hair washed, and made me say "Yee haw", which I hated. After the wash, they blow dried my hair, styled it, touched up my makeup and then put me in front of a nearby wall mural. They asked me a few questions, made me flip my hair around, and because it had stopped raining, told me to continue walking down the street in the direction I had originally been going. They video taped me for about a block and then disappeared.

This happened to me about ten years ago, and though I have yet to see my beautiful locks on t.v., I still feel flattered knowing that the Pert Plus man picked my head of hair out of a sea of people.

Though I hate to admit it, Tyler's story is way better than mine. During his junior year of high school, a woman he attended church with approached him and complimented him on his smile and jaw line. Turns out that she wasn't a cougar, just a regional manager for Fantastic Sams, looking for a male hair model for a hair cutting competition her salon was entering. She asked Tyler if he would be willing to come get his hair cut and have pictures taken as part of the contest. He agreed and she said she'd be in touch.

A few months later in the summer, the woman got back to him and gave him the details about the hair cut and photo shoot. Tyler went in and got his hair cut but a talented Fantastic Sams stylist and was then given a black shirt and red silky tie to don for the photo shoot. The makeup artists gave him a little man makeup and then the photos began. They took quite a few pictures, serious ones and smiling ones. After an hour or so, Tyler was thanked and told he could keep the shirt and tie.

A couple of months later, the woman at church mentioned that her salon had won the competition but didn't offer any other details. Shortly after that, a guy at school came up to Tyler and said, "Hey man, I think I saw your picture the other day when I went to get my hair cut." Tyler laughed and told him that it was possible. Fast forward a couple of years and Tyler is on his mission in Tampico, Mexico. One day he went to get his hair cut and jokingly told his companion that he wouldn't be surprised if he saw his own picture at the barbershop. Sure enough, when they walked in, Tyler spotted himself on a poster with lots of other hair models, including Joey Lawrence. His companion couldn't believe it and neither did the stylist at first. Later in his mission, Wal-Mart built a new store in Tampico, right next to the mission home. The Wal-Mart had a hair salon and sure enough, you could go in and point to a picture of Tyler Hutchins to request his hairstyle. Finally, about 7 months ago, we were going to Utah Lake and we ran into one of Tyler's former roommates. He told Tyler that one time he and his wife were at a Fantastic Sam's in San Diego and saw Tyler's picture in a hairstyles book.

Unfortunately Tyler hasn't received any compensation from Fantastic Sam's for his beautiful head shots, but just knowing that people will have better hair because of him makes it all worth it.

Obviously we were meant to be together.