It’s officially June AKA Pride Month, where the hairdressing community, and the whole world, can celebrate, champion and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. The Sam Villa brand in the US is calling on the entire global hair industry to get behind the cause in a myriad of important ways.
“This Pride Month, we’re calling on the beauty community to turn their spaces into powerful platforms for advocacy, education, and equality,” shared Jamie DiGrazia, Founder, Sam Villa Ambassador and Owner of Logan Parlor Salon.
Alongside causes such as HAIR HAS NO GENDER NFP, which is a non-profit organisation that helps to eliminate gendered service pricing and promote inclusive practices to ensure salons are a hub and place of belonging for both LGBTQIA+ clients and professionals, the brand has a list of ways to actively better the hair industry and salon spaces to fully support these communities.
Here are four ways salons can make an impact this Pride Month and beyond.
Be Visible
Display your advocacy in salon and on social media to show LGBTQIA+ clients that your space is safe and welcoming. Inclusive practices, like all-gender restrooms and pronoun pins, can add to this visibility.
Educate and Advocate
It’s important to both educate yourself on the best ways to create an inclusive salon space, and then pass on that education by talking to guests and co-workers. Help to dismantle practices such as gender-based pricing through transparent conversations, normalise inclusive language and ask for pronouns when booking.
“We wouldn’t pay our employees based on gender—why charge clients that way?” Jamie shared.
Be An Ally
Other than attending local parades, events, fundraisers and charities, small gestures, such as adding rainbow stickers to your mirror or door, can add to your advocacy. You can also read relevant media, speak out against anti-LAGBTQIA+ language and share support on social media.
Volunteer
Putting these practices into action in your salon can mean offering free or sliding scale affirming haircuts, leading styling lessons for trans and nonbinary youth or hosting workshops on building self-expression through hair, as well as connecting through brands and organisations that support LGBTQIA+ youth and communities.
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