Beautician = Bimbo

[chocolatepickle]

I'm a make up artist at a photography studio. I am fully qualified in make up artistry/hair styling. A client came in and asked how long I'd been a beautician for, even if it did say she would have the services of a professional make up artist, on her voucher! She then asked how much I was on (money) - I quickly replied that I didn't think that was any of her business! I was absolutely raging!
Another factor for me is that I am always told I look about 19 and people can be a bit wary of this. I have had some clients once they have been in about half an hour, that they thought I was younger and they were a bit weary of this at first. I am 28 lol! Even if I was 19 I could still be fully qualified! People are s ignorant. I just laugh at how stupid these people can be!xx

I look about 12 and find I get this a lot with clients, luckily I act older then I look (I think!) so I dont think it causes much of a problem.

 

[fluffydreams]

This really annoys me. Especially the whole "beautician" thing. I cringe when I hear the word. And people assume that it's just slapping some foundation on and sticking some nails on. When I explain the theory and knowledge that you have to obtain, they are usually shocked.

I remember, in all three of my years at college, beauty classes started out with around 25 students and by the time we ended the year, there was around 10 - 15 students left!
This to me is proof that some people just cannot do the course.

A few weeks ago, I had a mother/daughter joint appoinment for nail extensions which I do quite a lot of. The mother asked how long I had been up and running and I said around 18 months but trained for three years.
She then asked if I planned on going to Uni, I replied saying,
"Yes, I'm thinking about going for a degree in Beauty Therapy."

She seemed shocked you could even do a degree in BT. Then she said, and I quote,
"Well at least your little Beauty thing you've got now is something to fall back on."

There was a massive surge of rage went through me and I had to swallow hard to fight back the language that was about to come out of my mouth! I mean, it is not something to fall back on. This is my business that I put my heart and soul into and what I want to do.

Anyway, so I then asked her what she did for a living. She replied,
"Oh, I'm a checkout assistant in Asda."

I smiled a huge smile and said,
"Oh well...that must have been your career to fall back on."

There is nothing wrong with working in Asda, but for her to say that my BUSINESS is something to fall back on, when she works for a huge company on a till was laughable!

 

[persianista]

I used to get a lot of " you can always do a bit of hair on the side when you have kids".

Which although condescending, is partially true.

What I don't get, is did they think I built a couple of salons, staffed them, and run them as a little hobby till I can pop out a sprog? How would they feel if I sneered at their jobs as a hobby?

 

[hippy-chick]

I still get

"oh you do massage" nudge nudge wink wink

 

[NailsJedi]

I always start talking about the A&P and use big words. Or even better is to very smugly say that hairdressers and beauty therapists are the happiest workers in the UK (according to C&G) and then ask them '... So are you lucky enough to do a job you love every single day AND get paid for it?' They soon shut up ;-) xoxo

 

[Lauren1492]

I'd love for them to sit a C.I.D.E.S.C.O exam. Practical from 9-5 a theory exam consisting of a&p, chemistry, nutrition, electricity, business&professional ethics and lots of questions on technique AND write a thesis while also sitting I.T.E.C & C.I.B.T.A.C exams that require casestudies. Makes me laugh, I have so many girls coming in saying oh im starting beauty therapy in september its just a gap filler. 😡 Or older ladies coming in telling me my job is glamorous, don't get me wrong I love my job, i don't think anyone would do it if they didn't, but it isn't an easy one, I dont get where they pull this from!x

 

[coco.]

Too become a beauty therapist, you have maths/numeracy tests, interview and dexterity tests too get a place on the course and if I didn't get level 2 on my tests I wasn't getting a place on level 2. We then train at college for 2 years full time do a&p, then spend a lot of money on extra training, then a lot of ladies go on to run their own businesses either salon or mobile which takes, organisation, planning, advertising, accounts etc etc
So for people too say we are bimbos its rude but let them, let them think it, we know we are passionate about our jobs and what effort it takes too become a fully qualified beauty therapist.
We Arnt bimbos we are business women specializing in beauty therapy and loving our jobs and that makes us very clever ladies

 

[Pinkbunny28]

Who gives a monkeys what they think? The majority of us make more than they do and we enjoy it!

We've all had it and it won't change unless we prove them wrong. A level 2 may be pretty simple but so is every other level 2! It's not really about how much academic knowledge you put into a course, it's the retention rate of it and the application from theory to practical that determines the intelligence of the individual ie how good they are at what they do!

Also, I'm studying for my degree, how could I be thick??
I actually got called thick by one of my housemates on my birthday in my first year of uni. He soon backed down when he realised the course I was doing was 90% the same as his AND I had to do practical ontop of all the written assignments...x

Sent from my GT-I9300 using SalonGeek mobile app

 

[jcpark]

I think you are alluding in your first sentence, albeit unwittingly, to the fact that there are many types of intelligence (read Howard Gardner, 7 Types of Intelligence).
While I might find it easier than David Beckham to write an essay I have the feeling he might be vastly superior when it comes to spatial ability! It doesn't mean he's less intelligent than I am.
I went from an academic career to beauty therapy and I believe that it is challenging in many ways, not least of all emotional intelligence. I hope one day to be as good as some therapists I know who combine practical skills, subject knowledge,business acumen and terrific people skills.
By the way, when people ask me what I do I feel really proud to say "Beauty Therapist" It's true, though, that if I tell them I used to be a Headteacher their expressions can be priceless!

This is very true and sadly, is why our educations system fails so many children. It is geared towards academic intelligence so will obviously not cater for all children.

 

[dandelionpoppy]

Spot on jcpark! Most teachers are aware of this. I see an ever-narrowing definition of education emerging, with the blinkered and unimaginative Mr Gove in charge.:irked:

 

[laurakate]

I think the stereotype has a lot to do with school where young people who are less academic are positively encouraged to do hair/beauty even if they're not that proactively interested in it.

On the flip side, the more academic kids can be more positively encouraged to go to uni etc even if they're not that proactively interested in it. So what I'm saying is that it works both ways and the stereotyping and generalisations don't help anyone.

I think the way forward would be to say to young people that they can do anything they set their mind to and that they don't have to pigeon hole themselves into boxes based on what people think they can and can't do. This would result maybe in less people doing beauty because they feel they have to and messing about at the expense of others learning experience.

I have two degrees and as much as I love academia, beauty has been equally as stimulating in a lot of cases and in some instances more stressful so I would certainly not consider it a cop out for people who want to be lazy and not apply themselves because ultimately, you cant get away with that sort of behaviour in any industry to be honest. People just wouldn't pay you to sit there filing your nails and chatting about TOWIE lol!

 

[laurakate]

I recently had an interview with our daughter's teacher at her new school. as far as she was aware, I was a trainee nail tech and hubby is unemployed.

She spoke down her nose at us from the word go, condescending and arrogant and generally not very nice about our daughter struggling to get to grips with her new class struscture ( she has never had a lot of attention at school coming from 1 teacher and 1 assistant with 38 children, now having 1 teacher and 3 assistants to 16 children )

I tried to nicely remind teacher of this and let her know that once Holly is settled, she will pick up - her reply was well , there are those children in here who are exceptionally academic and then there are the "others". How is Holly going to catch up before year 6 ( she is only in year bloomin 3! ) she should be aspiriing now to be more than a hairdresser or something!!!

I then lost my rag! Politely but firmly reminded the teacher that my husband is NOT unemployed - he retired at 46 having spent his life owning businesses and he is a fully qwualified mechanic, auto electrician and is educated to the level of an engineeer in his trade. I may appear to be a hopeless bimbo just because I CHOOSE to traint o be a nail tech, but that makes me far from thick. Aside from my GCSE's, further education in psychology, sociology and deep studies of forensic science, I also know now about anatomy, biology, chemistry and much more thanks to my training

Bit of a off topic rant there but my blood is still boiling!

This is exactly what I mean about the education system needing to be more open minded.

I'm amazed that at age 3 a teacher feels that they can make that much of an assessment of a person.

Basically, nuts to them!

 

[laurakate]

I couldn't give a hoot what people think of me. Honestly!!! Even though I am blonde and say some damn stupid things at times.

But what I have found is - those with degrees (and all the other bits of paper that lands you jobs easier than those who haven't) they are NOT happy - most of the jobs are boring and lots of people come out wondering what they have just spent the last few years doing. All my friends who went on to do the high paid jobs - lawyers, forensics teachers etc all wish they had done what I am doing - but the pay put them off - and then realised - thats it not all about the money - its about being happy doing what you love. (I even got my teacher friend started in her own biz -party face painting - and she prefers to do that)

Life is for living - not stuck in the rat race - call me a bimbo - I really don't care haha.

Amen to that.

I have never applied for a graduate position because they all look like glorified office jobs where you get low entry pay to make tea in the first year or so anyway.

I could be wrong but I've never seen a single graduate job where I've thought "wow! well that looks rewarding enough that I can stick at that for a bit" lol!

 

[Bombalurina]

Yes girls and boys but this is why there are so many courses both private and college that are full of students. Where do they all go? These are the girls that give up and dissolve into thin air as soon as they realise that brains might have been an essential ingredient in succeeding in this industry!

THIS IS SOOOO TRUE!!!!! I see this all the time, classes and classes full of beauty students, who qualify, then go and work in the local supermarket or wherever, because they realise that beauty is a lot harder than they thought it would be. Some don't even make it til the end of the course.

I am PROUD to say I'm a beauty therapist. I love my job, I'm passionate about this wonderful industry, and I'm in constant amazement that there is so much to learn! I've been qualified 10 years and there's still so much I want to do! If people want to call me a bimbo for being a beauty therapist, I will give then my 30 second spiel about the subject matter I teach on a daily basis...that soon shuts them up! I have a brain in my head, as we all do, and I use it to full capacity on a daily basis!

 

[Black Sheep]

I went to university straight out of school and graduated with double degrees in Business and Law and worked for years in jobs that weren't fulfilling to me.

When I made the decision to change career paths and take on Beauty Therapy, aside from my sister, not ONE person supported me, and they still don't! It's astonishing how society portrays our industry purely because of a few airheads, which we all know is only a very small percentage.

Sure, anyone could go and do a Beauty Therapy course but there are few people who end up being GOOD Therapists with the underpinning knowledge and skills to have a successful lifelong career.

We just need to prove them all wrong!


Beauty Therapist
Black Sheep Beauty
www.blacksheepbeauty.com.au

 

[kazzy70]

It does not matter what someone has, how much they make or where they've been, all that matters is how they make you feel when you are with them.
:hug:

 

[SaraC]

I'm happy to say I don't think I've ever experienced anyone implying that I'm thick because of the industry I'm in! After doing my a levels I decided I didn't want to do what everyone was expecting me to do (a law degree) and I went to do makeup instead I've always wanted to do it! And I did hairdressing as part if it and carried it on because I loved it. I'm self employed and running a successful and busy column in a popular salon...if anyone says you're thick, smile sweetly to yourself, knowing they're the ones paying you to do a job you love ❤ who's the thick one now? Haha

 

[vitality]

I think you are alluding in your first sentence, albeit unwittingly, to the fact that there are many types of intelligence (read Howard Gardner, 7 Types of Intelligence).
While I might find it easier than David Beckham to write an essay I have the feeling he might be vastly superior when it comes to spatial ability! It doesn't mean he's less intelligent than I am.
I went from an academic career to beauty therapy and I believe that it is challenging in many ways, not least of all emotional intelligence. I hope one day to be as good as some therapists I know who combine practical skills, subject knowledge,business acumen and terrific people skills.
By the way, when people ask me what I do I feel really proud to say "Beauty Therapist" It's true, though, that if I tell them I used to be a Headteacher their expressions can be priceless!

In my first sentence I stated that beauty therapy is a popular choice for 'less academic' individuals, not less intelligent. I am very aware of Gardner's theory on multiple intelligences. His hypothesis describes how students possess different kinds of minds and therefore learn, remember, perform, and understand in different ways. Therefore some people who are non-academic may excel in vocational education or practical jobs as they possess non-traditional types of 'intelligence' such as interpersonal skills and bodily-kinesthetic (dancers, models etc.).

These practical individuals may end up making more money than someone who went to university but it does not change their academic abilities.

I have worked with various beauty therapists who would fit in to the bimbo stereo-type. Sadly people build this opinion on how someone looks, dresses, speaks and their demeanor. That's society for you. If you really care about people thinking you are a bimbo then it would be advisable not to act like one.

I've noticed a lot of people have had to highlight their other achievement to prove they are not stupid. Food for thought.

 

[NailsXpress]

I had a couple say to me that I was "obviously not very academic at school then?"

I just told them, "we'll, when I left school, I was a secretary for years, then a legal secretary, then when IT arrived, I gained 15 qualifications at night school, whilst still working full time, and became an IT Manager, covering 4 branches of solicitors offices with over 200 computers to look after, before retraining in something i love, beauty and nails.
They soon apologise and shut up!

 

[Kle]

I once had a client who was a teacher tell me that people are "nothing without a degree".
I bent down and whispered in her ear " I don't have a degree, but I earn a hell of a lot more than you do", and carried on cutting her hair.

This is the best thing ive seen in ages!!!