Strengthen your curriculum, teach makeup students hair/makeup for people of colour

Dear directors, coordinators, owners and administrators of beauty schools and institutions,

My name is Kestra and I’ve been a professional makeup artist and hair stylist for nearly twelve years. I am contacting you today to raise an issue that is incredibly important to me both as a working artist and as a human being.

I want to discuss the lack of sufficient training when it comes to black skin and hair. As a white woman, I am aware of the privilege that has been given to me, simply because of the colour of my skin and I am hoping that this message will inspire you to take a closer look at your program and help to rectify the inequalities within our industry.

At the beginning of my career, I was shocked when a black person or person of colour would sit in my chair with their own makeup and hair kit, as if they were ready to correct an application that I had yet to begin. Initially, I felt hurt until I talked to these people about why they felt this was necessary. The response I received from every person, was shocking, upsetting and absolutely inexcusable on the artists part. Models, actors, brides and celebrities alike have all said to me that it is rare to find a white person who is capable of doing hair and makeup for a black person. They have had experiences that range from horrible foundation matches to lack of colour theory and an overwhelming number of people have said that an artist will often not know how to do their hair and simply walk away. My hurt feelings instantly evaporated and turned into concern and anger for the institutions teaching these artists.

I graduated school 13 years ago and completed a hair and makeup course that was a 9 month duration. I am the first person to admit that the academy that I attended, lacked in a variety of ways but inclusion was not one of them. From day one, the message from our teachers was very clear; Until we could successfully master the techniques being taught (and do so on every skin type and tone) we would not pass and continue to our next module. We had family members and friends come in to model for us. We switched models so everyone could practice and have a well rounded grip of how to do our job well, and make the people in our chair feel fantastic, no matter who they may be or what their skin colour was. It was not until I graduated that I was made painfully aware that this mindset of inclusion and equality was not a value practiced by all institutions.

As a white woman, I cannot imagine what it must feel like for a black person, who is sitting in a makeup chair, hoping they will look their best at applications end, while facing the reality that they will likely have to remove said makeup and reapply due to lack of know-how and training on the artists part. I have spoken at length with black people who sit in my chair and I hear them talking about how past experiences with a hair/makeup artist have left them feeling. Words such as “worthless” “invisible” “nauseating” and I can assure you that is not the worst of it. There is no reason why anyone should have to feel this way. This is a situation that I have encountered time and time again when it is so preventable.

This is an issue that has been going on long before I became part of this industry. I am generally a very optimistic person and I don't want to believe that any institution would intentionally exclude a group because of skin colour or race. However, I have not yet come across a school that spends more than a few hours to a few days on this topic. This letter is to bring attention to a serious issue in our industry that is easily rectified and needs to be done immediately. Makeup is for everyone. Hairstyling is for everyone. I am sad to say that with the current curriculums as they stand, the message that is sent is that makeup is only for a very specific group of people; white.

I believe this a topic which is essential to discuss in hopes of breaking down racial prejudice and furthering the ideals of inclusion. This is an issue that continues to negatively impact on the black community and it is our job to do better. Thank you for your time and consideration and I hope this letter inspires you to change your programming to be more inclusive and to speak out to the other schools that may need to hear this message as well.

Kestra