If you guys tuned in to Live With Kelly And Ryan this morning, you saw a hilarious segment featuring Xavier Cruz, the hunky owner of Barba Men’s Grooming Boutique in New York City, along with his equally as handsome hubby, Juan Pablo. The pair joined the broadcast, remotely, of course, to provide haircutting survival tips in the age of quarantines and lockdowns. Kelly, Ryan, and the show’s veteran Executive Producer, Gelman, all participated from their remote locations in a real-time, step by step tutorial.
Xavier, cutting Juan Pablo’s hair, walked the crew through the tools and process of how to deliver a “Quarantine Cut,” even if you’ve never touched clippers before. Ryan was the most entertaining. Using electric clippers, he opted to be his own model and began by buzzing the back of his head with the delicacy of a lumberjack chopping firewood. Mama Kelly’s handsome son Michael braved the segment as her guinea pig, complete with pastel hair clips and patience.
Kelly was cautious, admittedly sharing that she had no idea what she was doing. Still, she snipped away at Michael’s hair with scissors, and let’s face it, with the gorgeous face on that kid, she could have shaved his head entirely, and nobody would even notice.
The show was a lot of fun. As someone who has known Xavier for many years now, it’s been thrilling to watch his business boom from a vision to a national level of recognition by arguably the country’s number one morning program.
Barba has been one of the hottest men’s grooming establishments since it opened its doors in Chelsea – one of New York City’s most iconic LGBTQ enclaves. The boutique not only built up a who’s who clientele but more notably has also aligned itself with philanthropy and alliance with important issues such as civil liberty protections, transgender rights, and LGBT youth homelessness-often a result of disownment from families.
One of the most impressive things I’ve noticed about Barba over the years is its brilliant branding and marketing campaigns, which almost always promote the furtherance of positive representation for the LGBTQ + community. Their appearance on Live With Kelly And Ryan is synonymous with that plight, and it was a perfect platform for visibility and inclusion as Xavier began the segment by introducing JP as his husband. That may seem like no big deal in 2020, but it is. Let me explain why.
We’ve come a long way on gay acceptance and rights. Still, it’s essential to see representations such as Xavier and JP. These are examples that will inspire young gay people to be free and nonconflicted as they live their truth. As I watched them today on the show, I thought about the silly concept of gay people being accused of pushing the “gay agenda.”
I laughed to myself as I watched a handsome, loving, married, gay couple – their only “gay agenda” was to teach loyal allies, Kelly Rippa and Ryan Seacrest, how to cut their hair during a crisis.
Well done, Xavier and JP, and thank you to Kelly Rippa, Mark Consuelo, and Ryan Seacrest for being such supportive allies of the LGBTQ+ community.
Check out this funny video of Xavier remotely coaching Billy Porter through cutting his husband Adam’s hair for the first time, a necessity due to the on-going quarantine lockdown.
To Learn More About Barba Men’s Grooming Boutique Visit Them On Facebook
Website: http://barbamgb.com
Click Here To Watch Xavier Cruz On Live With Kelly & Ryan
