The Men Behind The Chair at a Beiruti Salon: A Case Study of Lebanese Hairdressers’ Gender and Professional Identity Construction

Ghada Seifeddine

Abstract
Storytelling is a linguistic resource for constructing social identity at the workplace. Professionals may use stories to present and regulate various kinds of gendered identities and make sense of their social world (Coates, 2003; Georgakopoulou, 1997; Johnstone, 2001). Findings from Eggins and Slade (1997) and Holmes (2005) suggest that workplace narratives serve to invoke supportive elements of talk, conventionally associated with femininity, and help the speakers connect with each other. Workplace narratives would then provide the linguistic opportunity to build solidarity whilst getting work done (Holmes, 2005, 2009).