Time for a rant! Hairdressing is for thicko's?

[ballyboo]

It always makes me laugh when people assume hairdressers are thick!
I am a hairdresser because I wanted to do something I loved, not because I wasn't clever enough to do anything else. I had excellent GCSE results, and originally wanted to study law as Its my other love (I'm a magistrate now which works beautifully for me) I'm a property developer alongside my dad and I also manage 15 rental properties alongside my full time Hairdressing. If I didn't love my job I would have ditched the salon ages ago as I earn more that enough from my other businesses, I don't do hairdressing because of the money, if I won the lottery tonight I would still be going to work on Tuesday

I think WE are the lucky ones having such an amazing career - how many other people get paid for making people look and feel fabulous? xx

 

[Jody2412]

Human beings will always have opinions and be judgmental. You know what your capable of and those who are important do so too! That's what counts. If people have assumptions about you let them they obviously have nothing better going on in their lives. Unlike us busy creative bees xx

 

[Charlmb21]

I've posted about similar before. All my family and friends were so gutted when I said I was going back to hairdressing & it upset me until I thought, "well actually, it's not their place to be gutted or have a go at me!"

Also somebody made a good point that all these people that are likely to judge hairdressers are also likely to sit in the chair and moan about their own jobs!...

The reality is, people who work in an office could easily be seen as boring, hairdressers get tarred with the stereotypical brush and it will probably take a very long time to change it.

I'd just rather be in a job which I love & what makes me truly happy 'eff what anyone else thinks

Xx

 

[frizzfreehair]

I remember years ago saying to my ex how tired i was one night after having a long busy day in the salon, to which he replied "all you do all day is cut hair how can you be tired?" He worked in a Versace store at the time so i replied "and all you do all day is fold clothes" the cheek of him, folding clothes and tidying shelfs require Zero theory compared to hairdressing, i was fuming!!

 

[Hairflair'xo]

I remember years ago saying to my ex how tired i was one night after having a long busy day in the salon, to which he replied "all you do all day is cut hair how can you be tired?" He worked in a Versace store at the time so i replied "and all you do all day is fold clothes" the cheek of him, folding clothes and tidying shelfs require Zero theory compared to hairdressing, i was fuming!!

I get these types of sarcy comments all the time!! When I complain about being tired/having a bad back/sore hands (all of those are totally worth it mind you!) and people shoot back with ''but your only slapping on some dye and cutting peoples hair'' it angers me so much! I would LOVE to see one of these office people up on their feet all day and bending in all sorts of strange positions, then they'd realize we don't have a simple job! ARGHH sorry haha i'm fuming!!! Xxx

 

[persianista]

I get these types of sarcy comments all the time!! When I complain about being tired/having a bad back/sore hands (all of those are totally worth it mind you!) and people shoot back with ''but your only slapping on some dye and cutting peoples hair'' it angers me so much! I would LOVE to see one of these office people up on their feet all day and bending in all sorts of strange positions, then they'd realize we don't have a simple job! ARGHH sorry haha i'm fuming!!! Xxx

I made my Hubby junior for me one Xmas eve. When we got home he was flat on his back with his legs in the air saying "how the hell do you do THAT every day?"

 

[Hausofhana]

One of the reasons is because it's a practical job and not a strictly academic one, despite the amount of chemistry, thought and common sense that goes into it.

 

[persianista]

How can people who are NOT hair pro's possibly know?

A one day ext course does not make you a hair pro, or qualified to comment on how much theory is involved in hairdressing.

Plus lets face it, a lot of people "qualify", and only 4% of people make it to senior stylist.

I have worked in salons all my life, and I have never met a senior stylist who was thick. The ones who get to the big bucks are the cleverest, most emotionally intelligent, and most well informed people.

The "thicko's" get weeded out pretty quick.

 

[Hausofhana]

How can people who are NOT hair pro's possibly know?

A one day ext course does not make you a hair pro, or qualified to comment on how much theory is involved in hairdressing.

Plus lets face it, a lot of people "qualify", and only 4% of people make it to senior stylist.

I have worked in salons all my life, and I have never met a senior stylist who was thick. The ones who get to the big bucks are the cleverest, most emotionally intelligent, and most well informed people.

The "thicko's" get weeded out pretty quick.

I would say I'm qualified to comment because I breathe, exist etc...

In my area, a lot of girls i know do hairdressing at college because there's not a lot of academic qualifications needed for that particular college course. That's not to say every hairdresser is thick, because that would simply be a majorly unfair generalisation. Its not just hairdressing, many other courses like beauty, retail, home economics fit into this category too.

It would be difficult to argue that hairdressing is anything other than a practical profession however. That does not make it any less meaningful than any other profession.

I'm not looking for any arguments, i am simply playing devil's advocate, stating facts and my opinion.

 

[Hausofhana]

And I can relate to the OP, as I work part time in a care home, another job where being a thicko is deemed mandatory...

 

[classixuk]

I know lots of hairdressers who genuinely are 'thickos' though. If they didn't like hairdressing I don't think that they'd be able to change profession overnight and become a nuclear scientist, whereas a nuclear scientist could probably retrain as a hairdresser and understand the theory without too many problems.

That doesn't make the hairdresser any less able as a human being though, nor the nuclear scientist any more superior. Both need eachother's skills so it becomes a symbiotic relationship. The nuclear scientist won't impress on her dates without the help of the hairdresser, and the hairdresser wouldn't get very far with her chemicals without the research of the nuclear scientist.

 

[lilly]

I would say I'm qualified to comment because I breathe, exist etc...

In my area, a lot of girls i know do hairdressing at college because there's not a lot of academic qualifications needed for that particular college course. That's not to say every hairdresser is thick, because that would simply be a majorly unfair generalisation. Its not just hairdressing, many other courses like beauty, retail, home economics fit into this category too.

It would be difficult to argue that hairdressing is anything other than a practical profession however. That does not make it any less meaningful than any other profession.

I'm not looking for any arguments, i am simply playing devil's advocate, stating facts and my opinion.

I've been hairdressing for years and I do somewhat agree with the above, it is a course that doesn't need high qualifications to do, doesn't mean we're thick but it is more of a practical profession rather than an academic profession, saying that colour science STILL confuses me !

It did make me chuckle tho when I showed a client my daughters hairdressing course work and she was completely shocked that my daughter actually had to write anything !

 

[JoJo1980]

Yes, you dont have to have particularly high grades to get in to hairdressing - but I prsonally think that that rule should change. I may well fan a few flames by saying this, but MY view is, that hairdressing IS technical, scientific, requires excellent mathematical and english skills, not to metion a high physical stamina, ability to cope under pressure and do it all whilst sticking a brrom up you arse and sweeping the floor - WITH A SMILE ON YOUR FACE!
I think you should have grade c or above in maths, english and science to even be considered for a place on a course...
The industry is underestimated, and seriously warrants more respect.
Though it's better than it was 15 years ago.
Like Persianista said, the ones with the brains will make it big, but there are still a few about that give us a bad name!

I refuse to believe it is an industry you choose because your "too thick to do anything else"

Surely the world is smarter than to think that these days??? I live in hope
xx

 

[danni1984]

My neice wanted to be a hairdresser her school teacher told her she was too clever to be a hairdresser😁. She
Decided to do dance and drama in sixth form instead she's now left and is working part time in thorntons selling chocolates 😁. Xxx

 

[pinky_kez]

10 years ago when I started (makes me feel old) I had to have 5c s or above to get on my course

I also left because a salon made me feel thick, and undermined and I became a mechanical designer (have to be extremely good at maths) and I came in top 5% in the country but hated it hence me coming back and being mobile, now I'm super happy and wonders what could I become if I didn't work in that nasty salon

Sent from my LT15i using SalonGeek

 

[*Zoe*]

I know exactly what you mean, and I think it's across the board for the beauty industry as a whole.

I have a 'home salon' where I do waxing, tinting, nails, facials, lashes etc.

One client said to me a few months ago 'do you ever wish you paid more attention at school so you could do something different?'. I told her that I actually had a degree in mathematics and worked in finance for a while before starting beauty. She looked shocked. No idea why. Did you think I was a moron or something?!?!

I had one client who told me about her daughter and said 'o she wants to do beauty but she is a bright girl, so it would be a waste for her to just paint nails all day'. I took great pleasure in telling her I had a 2:1 in mathematics! Patronising cow! She really rubbed me up the wrong way!

 

[Hairflair'xo]

I constantly got told I was ''too smart'' to be a hairdresser, my head of year at school got me in a meeting with her to air her thoughts on my college choice! Saying I could achieve much more and should consider a levels, I took great pleasure in telling her how well i'm doing when I bumped into her the other day, bitter old cow!! Xxx