It’s the year 1972.
19-year-old Lucille Lo Prete is practicing her shaving skills on a balloon. She can’t do it on a real client.
“I’ve always wanted to be a barber. When I was a kid, I was always sneaking up on my father to cut his hair.”
In 1975, The New York State law that prevented hairdressers from working on men was declared unconstitutional by State Supreme Court Justice Sidney H. Asch.
Back in the day, these stories made headlines in the New York Times.
Let’s accept it.
Hair and beauty businesses have always been a woman-led industry and barbering, men’s. There’s no denying the gender stereotypes.
But in today’s day and age, this seems to be less of a problem however traditional gender stereotypes provide expectations of what women and men can and should do. They are deeply ingrained in us and work as blockers in social progress.
There are some positive strides. And the change has been twofold.
According to New York School of beauty, there’s a growing rise in the number of men who enroll to become an esthetician. The US Bureau of labor statistics also projects a 12% growth of the field through 2024.
On the other hand, while barbering still remains a male-dominated profession, pay parity has helped more women to adopt this profession.
There’s also been a rise in demand. Today a pedicure from any gender is more accepted and consumers generally don’t see anything unusual when a woman cuts hair at a Barbershop.
Hashtags like #LadyBarber #Ladybarberfadeitbetter are proof of this much-needed social adjustment.
Gender fluidity does not seem abnormal anymore, and while we’ve made some headway there’s a lot that needs to be done to change the narrative.
“Cutting hair is easy but being a barber is difficult especially as a woman. I experienced a lot of discouragement when I was first starting out” says Imani.
For women looking to get into the industry, Imani has some sound advice:
It isn’t surprising that this determination has led her to carve a niche—raving reviews on her booking page are proof enough.
“Believe in yourself strongly no matter what happens. Stay focused and learn everything you can because you will benefit from it on the road ahead. Have confidence in yourself because, in this industry, that will take you far. Don’t be afraid of anything. GO IN!”
Svitlana Levchuk from LS Barbershop has similar advice. “Never underestimate your woman’s power. If you like to do fades, just go for it, she says.”
It’s been a challenge for women to set foot in a male-dominated barber industry, but are similar challenges met by men too when they want to start a career in the hair and beauty world?
The answer is yes.
When Nicck Townsend started his journey, there was resistance from schools.
“Schools were a little wary about teaching a guy about facials, Brazillian waxing, and dealing with the intimate areas of clients,” he recalls.
A move to Philadelphia brought him a step closer to his dreams. Interestingly enough he didn’t become brow king overnight. He started as a salon assistant and moved on to do eyebrows, and the rest they say is history.
Celebrity brow artist and facialist Rene De La Garza’s (he has worked with Cardi B and Lizzo) dream to enter the world of beauty started with a Nordstrom gift card that he received on his birthday at age 14.
“The decision to pursue my esthetics career was never more clear, and ever since have never looked at any other industry! “ he said when speaking to Sheen Magazine.
Today the industry is definitely heading in the right direction and it’s pleasing to see men and women achieving their full potential and giving their best selves to a job, irrespective of their gender.
At Booksy we believe that the thing that should matter the most should be an entrepreneur’s success story, not their gender! As a small business ourselves, we have constantly supported the journey of all these amazing businesses listed above and we take pride in taking a stand where it matters most.
Working towards gender equality in hair and beauty, highlighting their achievements, and building on a more inclusive voice are a few things that we are passionate about.
That being said, there are still areas of improvement. Here’s hoping that we all take a collective stance as entrepreneurs and service providers to ensure that we put passion above gender!
And if you’re looking for a technological partner that supports you in your unique journey, look no further than Booksy. We have improved the lives of over 20,000 entrepreneurs by eliminating distractions from their lives through our all-in-one online booking and scheduling software. Try our 30-day free trial.
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