Have you ever noticed the attire of a police officer, chef, nurse, attorney and so on? Notice they have an image that is distinct. Their attire sets them apart from the population in which they serve. Right?
In the beauty industry things are a little bit different. In some salons there is a dress code and in others there are not. Do dress codes have a place in the beauty industry? Some say there should be and others say there should not be. I say there should be. But of course!
For those of you who do not know, the attire for professional cosmetologists is black. All black. No other accentuating colors. Not even gray. The prerogative to change it up a bit for certain occasions and event is to the discretion of the individual stylist or salon owner. As a rule of thumb, whenever a cosmetologist or nail tech shows up to work or for a professional appearance he/she should represent the black. Estheticians typically represent with a white jacket or khaki colored uniform of some sort.
Some might argue that due to the creative nature of our career a uniformed look or color would somehow rob the beauty professional of their individual uniqueness. The objective for working is for the customer/client; not self. Any whoo; I say, "Malarchy!" Seriously, are our varying branches of military at a disadvantage as individuals because they all wear uniforms or certain colors? What about football teams, basketball teams, police officers and doctors? How much would their integrity be compromised if the football players arrived to play Sunday night football wearing shorts and AirForce Ones? And how willing would you fork over your license, registration and proof of insurance if the police officer arrived to your car with jeans on and a baseball cap? Oh and ladies, you know you would never put your feet in those already dreadful stirrups if your doctor entered the examining room wearing a black leather jacket. Absurd scenarios, right?
What do beauty professions think when their customers/clients see them in after five attire, jeans & tennis shoes, micro mini skirts, revealing and daring necklines, muscle shirts, see through tops and 5 inch stilettos? Upon thinking about the above mentioned examples, a uniformed look for beauty professionals do not seem like such a bad idea after all. A uniformed image for beauty professionals has its advantages. The top three advantages of a uniformed look that immediately that comes to my mind are credibility, trustworthy and competent. The more the beauty professional looks like the population they serve; the more "regular" they appear. The issue of their abilities to perform a great service is somehow overpowered by their attire. I have worked in salons where a dress code of any sort was not a mandate. The salon environment was like one big party. I was tired of the ever annoying questions from customers asking who was the stylist and the stylist asking who was the customer.
In my opinion there should absolutely be no exception to the rule when it comes to the professional attire and dress code of beauty professionals. The all black for hairstylists and nail techs and the white jackets or khaki colored uniforms for estheticians are imperative. For us to be taken seriously, charge what we charge, speak the way we speak and be of service to the lovely people who trust us with their image; we should have no complaints or make excuses for the way we should dress. The work of a beauty professional is about service the person who sits in our chair; not our ability to wear what we want.
In conclusion, you go to work to work; not for a fashion show! Sounds familiar?
