Just looking at the past 100 years what it means to be a hairdresser has definitely had an evolution. Like most things in modern history this industry was definitely heavily influenced by men but as women started gaining new freedoms it was an easy path to step into.
When I started my career 22 plus years ago hair professionals were becoming to be treated as just that, actual professionals. My aunt was in the same field when I was growing up in the 80’s and the fact that she owned her own salon made her a cut above the rest. (Pun totally intended) Most beauticians were not thought of as generally smart or educated. We played with hair and made people pretty, even today these themes still ring a bit true and they arent lies either. What has changed is the ability of a stylist to become their own version what a beauty professional means.
What I want to touch on within this article is about that veil of connection that gets crossed when you sit in a stylist’s chair. There are not many professions where most of the interaction involves actual personal touch. Actual hands on work and because of this touch there is a connection that opens between the client and the stylist. There is trust and a bond that forms, why are so many people loyal to one stylist or salon? I think the most obvious reasons are the same things that almost go unmentioned. Doctors and nurses and spiritual healers across the spectrum of what that means also are hands on. We also trust them we also open our hearts and our minds to the lessons and teachings and rituals that have been passed down from eons.
We are the people that open our ears and hearts. Every hair wash every head massage every snip of a scissor has intention behind it. To make someone feel like the better version of themselves.
For many of us who have been in this industry for a long time we understand a bit more the power that we hold then when we first start out. We can create beauty and happiness. Maybe we are sort of a life doula. We guide people through so many transitions in their lives we witness ups and downs and hold space every time someone sits down. We witness people becoming. Not in one sitting necessarily, although that can also happen, but in hundreds of small appointments spread across years.
The older I get the more spiritual I feel about my job. When I was younger, I thought I was learning how to cut hair. Now I realize I was also learning how to heal and listen, to talk for distraction or keep quiet to hold space. The wiser I have become the more I want to be the support and offer not just my skill of cutting or coloring hair but the wealth of knowledge and experience I have gained from touching literally thousands of people.
We Witness People Becoming
