Talk to most beauty industry employees and they’ll likely tell you they drive home from work in complete silence. Taking care of people all day requires a moment to decompress. As a child of the salon industry, I’ve always marveled at hair stylists’ ability to make conversation with the range of people who sit in their chairs. They smile through as people share conspiracy theories, family drama and their deepest pains.Â
Colorists pull off a complex science experiment when helping you change shades. Nail technicians hunch over our digits to create tiny, beautiful art. Makeup artists work magic to make us look like the most glamorous yet still recognizable version of ourselves. Massage therapists stave off touch starvation and allow us to go back to work refreshed. We trust wax technicians to look at our vaginas and, in turn, not burn them.Â
They work evenings and weekends and spend a lot of time on their feet — not to mention the gross factor that can often come with dealing with the human body. In the best circumstances, it’s a friendship and symbiotic relationship. At its worst, artists are dumped on, harshly criticized for not being a magician or replicating an AI-generated Pinterest photo.Â
It’s no small thing to help another person feel confident. We depend on you, beauty industry professionals, to help the person in the mirror better match the way we see ourselves. We quite simply could not do it without you.Â
 —Hannah Herner
Health Care Reporter, Nashville Post and Nashville Scene
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