Hair-Rolling as a Grooming Ritual: Expanding Rituals and Blurring Boundaries of Public and Private Spheres

This study investigates the phenomenon of wearing hair rollers in public spaces and sharing photos of this practice on social media, particularly within contemporary Korean society. Rooted in the context of grooming routines, the study draws on existing research on ritualistic consumer experiences and the blurring of public and private spheres in modern society. A qualitative content analysis of Instagram posts—comprising captions, hashtags, and visual content (images/videos)—was conducted. The analysis followed grounded theory methodology, with three steps of coding: open, axial, and selective coding. The analysis revealed several key themes: the ordinariness of hair-rolling, the expansion of grooming rituals, the public display of a presentable appearance, and the blurring of boundaries between private and public spaces and times for hair-rolling. The findings are summarized as the hair-rolling phenomenon represents an expansion of traditional grooming rituals and a blurring of boundaries between public and private spheres. This shift reflects a broader trend of transitioning private grooming practices into the public realm, with these rituals becoming more intermittent throughout the day. Additionally, the practice of posting hair-rolling selfies expands the ritual script of grooming, which is posting selfies on social media. Ultimately, hair-rolling exemplifies the breakdown of public-private boundaries, with personal activities being publicly shared on social media, the merging of public and private spaces, and the intersection of public spaces with private time.