MENU
SEARCHLearning empathy, flexibility, and how to work with people from different backgrounds and cultures will prepare the students of the barber and beauty to navigate an increasingly multicultural future.
“Consider it preparation for an increasingly multicultural future — and it can be done without giving up quality.”—Rodrick Samuels
*Editor's Note: Resharing this content from 2020.
Some of the best Barber and Beauty Schools in the country have an abundance of key assets: devoted teachers, challenging curricula, and vibrant cultures of achievement. But most lack one important quality: racial diversity.
The lack of diversity reflects a disturbing development in the U.S. today: the growing segregation of Barber and Beauty schools. This trend began in the 1980s with primary education and accelerated in the wake of several Supreme Court decisions.
The result is an entire education system including Barber and Beauty schools that’s increasingly separate and unequal. Large numbers of minority students, Black and Latino students in particular, are restricted in high-poverty schools — with alarming results.
These nonwhite Barber and Beauty schools are segregated by poverty as well as race, creating an unstable, often dangerous education experience, with high teacher turnover and limited resources. According to researchers, these are the schools that account for most of the nation’s ‘dropout factories,’ where a frightfully large share of the students, especially young men, fail to pass the state board exam and too many end up virtually unemployable by industry standards
Beyond basic fairness, why should people care about diversity, especially in the barber and beauty industry? Should they count themselves lucky if their barber or stylist has a license, can perform services on every ethnicity with confidence and quality or should they be looking for more?
Ironically, while our Barber and Beauty Schools are becoming more segregated, our society is becoming ever more diverse. Some 44 percent of American students today are nonwhite, and that number rises every year. To prepare our future professionals to be global citizens, we need to expose them to more than an angled bob curls and tapers and bald fades. It’s essential for our future barber and beauty professionals to learn to get along with and understand people from all walks of life. We are not in the haircutting business; we are in the people business.
In fact, diversity in personal appearance education has been shown to promote tolerance. One recent study found, for example, that students in diverse settings exhibited less racial and ethnic prejudice than students who interacted mainly with those of similar backgrounds.
Learning empathy, flexibility, and how to work with people from different backgrounds and cultures will prepare the students of the barber and beauty to navigate an increasingly multicultural future.
Rodrick Samuels is a barber, educator, and activist, and Director of the Hair Lab Detroit Barber School
Read more from Rodrick Samuels on Overcoming the Racial Divide in the Industry
Anny VanDriel, owner of Be Rosie Salon and creator of Pricing Isn’t Personal, volunteered to share a pricing presentation to beauty school students a year ago, and ended up learning more than she expected.
From the launch of the Ulta BeautyArtist Collective to the evolution of Trendspiration, celebrating stylists is what The Salon at Ulta Beauty does best.
Sponsored by Ulta Beauty
With more than four decades in the industry, hairdresser and MODE Education founder Stan Newton has built a career around the art and discipline of cutting hair, learning the rules so he can break them.
Beauty professionals should evaluate each service based on its popularity, profitability, and alignment with current trends. Conducting client surveys and analyzing booking data can provide insights into which services are in demand and which might be phased out.
LifeSpa leader Ali Yanez explains why strong mentorship, predictable income, meaningful recognition and the right work environment help beauty professionals build careers that last.
Whether a beauty professional chooses a commission salon, booth rental, salon suite or salon ownership, the common thread is having more choices than ever before.
Sport Clips Haircuts will host its inaugural "Level Up Live," a first-of-its-kind virtual event that combines live haircutting education, career inspiration, product knowledge, and employment opportunities for licensed stylists and cosmetology students nationwide.
Orthopedic PT reveals three daily exercises plus ergonomic advice that can help salon professionals avoid the aches and injuries caused by standing, bending and repetitive overhead work.
Four publications for beauty industry professionals to enhance their leadership skills, financial awareness, professional growth, and joy!
Salon suite pioneer Karen Kaminski argues that the next evolution of independent beauty businesses won't be defined by beautiful spaces alone, it will be driven by smarter systems that help professionals spend less time on administrative work and more time serving clients.
At a time when many LGBTQ+ people felt compelled to hide parts of themselves, Carlos Valenzuela found a career in beauty and a community that offered opportunity based on what you could do and how well you could do it.
Whether it's social media, fashion, film, art, or culture, Chaz Dean advises stylists to stay aware of what's inspiring people. Take the elements that make sense for you in these five lessons learned through a life in beauty.
For Jessica Domoney, building a successful career isn't about saying yes to every opportunity, it's about protecting your time, investing in yourself and creating an experience clients won't forget.
MODERN SALON sat down with Samuels to discuss the book, beauty education, mentorship and the habits that help beauty professionals thrive.
"The mistake people make is treating AI like a vending machine instead of a personal assistant." Digital marketing expert Scott Moon shares how beauty professionals can use AI while staying authentic
Real-world advice on creativity, consultations, color, burnout, business, boundaries, inclusivity, client care, and career growth from educators and industry experts.
Real-world advice on creativity, consultations, color, burnout, business, boundaries, inclusivity, client care, and career growth from educators and industry experts.
