Even though she grew up in a hair salon (her mom was a stylist), Howell instead started going to barbershops. It was the first place where she didn't feel judged, she says. The conversation was closer to her interests, too — men's fashion and sports, to name a few — but oftentimes "the male barbers struggled to cut my hair because they just weren't sure what to do for me. I had barbers push back on going as short as I would ask for because they 'weren't sure how that would look on a girl.'"