Banter Bites

Glued To This “Bad Hair Day” Story

There are things that are hard to believe. This is probably going to be one of those.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Some stories make you wonder about people and the decisions they make ...

That was Red's first reaction when Black told her about Tessica Brown, the woman who decided to use Gorilla Glue when she ran out of the hair spray she normally used to keep her hair in place. After asking all the expected questions –what was she thinking, who would even consider using a super glue type product on their hair, was this a publicity stunt – Red couldn't help but wonder about the jokes and public ridicule Tessica was probably facing on social media.

Yes, social media can be unkind. And putting Gorilla Glue on your hair is bad enough without letting the world know about your poor judgment. Especially since it's hard to imagine that Tessica was doing it as a public service so other people wouldn't make the same stupid mistake. When Black saw the initial TikTok video trending on Twitter, she was surprised … not by the story (she admits she ceases to be surprised by what trends on Twitter), but by people's reactions.

Instead of being laughed at and mocked, people seemed very empathetic and genuinely concerned about her situation. Even if self-inflicted. Since then, many people, including professionals in the hair industry (and the Gorilla Glue company), were making suggestions and giving advice. With many people asking to be kept updated – letting Tessica know they felt they were going on her unfortunate journey with her.

Hearing these reactions made Red acknowledge that it might be human nature to make fun of someone who's done something clearly "stupid" but there's a point where you realize there's honest pain, suffering, and even fear. Maybe the outpouring of support for Tessica (who's better known as the "Gorilla Glue Girl") is because she's admitted it wasn't her finest moment, and in her honesty allowed all of us to remember that she's only human, just like all of us.

No matter what holiday you may celebrate, Red can’t help but quote a line from one of her favorite Christmas songs, “Have yourself a merry little Christmas. Let your heart be light. From now on, your troubles will be out of sight.”

And Black can’t help but point out that the song wasn’t introduced in a Christmas movie but in the movie "Meet Me In St. Louis."

Wishing you a merry everything and a happy always!

This is one of Red’s favorite Banter Bites in large part because of Black’s “corny” puns, but also because fresh corn is a summer staple – whether cooked on the grill or in the microwave, whether eaten on its own or as a primary ingredient in refreshing summer salads


This may be one of the corniest things you’ll ever read.

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: It’s just a vegetable, so how can it possibly elicit such a strong reaction from Red, while, for Black, it’s more a source of amusement and even, it turns out, admiration?

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Think you can avoid artificial intelligence? Think again …

BANTER BITE BACKSTORY: Red already fights technology at every turn, preferring to keep her ostrich head in the sand, plus, she finds Artificial Intelligence (AI) scary; whereas Black knows ignoring reality merely postpones the inevitable, so she’s started playing with AI to understand it better …

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