As a senior in high school, I am constantly asked one question by EVERYONE.
What do you plan to do after you graduate?
When I tell them, I plan on going to cosmetology school, often they fall quiet. I then proceed to tell them what they want to hear, I want to get my masters in business. Then comes the flood of questions like what is cosmetology, what do you want to focus on, and where will you be attending school? Rarely ever do I get someone that asks why.
Maybe it’s because it may come off as rude or maybe they don’t want to sound like they’re disagreeing with my plan; whatever it may be, I’d like them to put it aside. I want, more than anything, for people to ask me why!
What led me to the beauty industry?
When I was in eighth grade, I struggled with my body image and rarely ever felt confident. I would constantly compare myself to other girls and it became very unhealthy. It was exhausting, mentally and emotionally. Never feeling good enough, it takes a toll on your body and mind.
But I knew I wasn’t alone. My friends complained about the way they looked and admitted they didn’t feel beautiful. It made me sad because they were all beautiful to me. I would go great lengths to look like them. Everyone is beautiful, and no one deserved to feel otherwise.
One night, my mom took me to her hair appointment as a mother-daughter date. While we were there, we found someone to do my hair which at the time was long, brown, and thick. I had so much hair, you could make three and a half mops out of it. It took around two hours to complete an ombrè and during that time I spilled my guts.
I told her my story, what I was going through, what I have learned, and what I want my future to look like. I told her everything from being in foster care and what being raised by a single mother was like to the drama going on in my little middle school life.
I left feeling beautiful and like the weight I was carrying had been lifted off my shoulders. I got to thinking, it was a dream of mine to change societies image on people. The image society puts out now is unrealistic and can cause people to feel like they don’t look good enough. I also wanted to help people, I wanted to be a listening ear, a helping hand, and giving tongue.
I want everyone to know that they are beautiful, I want to be able to speak life into them. So why cosmetology?
I want to be able to sit with my clients and listen to them, I want to give them advice, I want to tell them they are beautiful before and after. I want them to feel a weight lifted off their shoulders when they leave. I don’t just want to make them feel gorgeous on the outside, but I want them to feel it on the inside too. I want everyone to know that they are beautifully made.
