I desperately want to share with you all the highlight of the week...no, it's the highlight of the year:
Here's the scene: It's a busy Wednesday in a bustling hair salon in central Jersey, I walk my client to the color area and drape her with a cape, the identical cape that every other client in the salon was wearing. But at that moment, an amazing thing happened...I swear, her entire face lit up. Not only did she immediately feel special and pampered (even though we hadn't even begun), but I watched her look at herself in the mirror differently. She sat up taller, she put on a big, gorgeous smile, and what she said to me was this: "For the next 90 minutes, I am not a victim or a survivor. I am no less or different than the woman with the Gucci bag next to me or the woman receiving the $350 keratin straightening. I am your client...so let's do this!"
With that cape on, it doesn't matter if there's a 5 karat diamond on her finger or mud under her nails. A cape puts everybody on an even playing field.
And she was beginning a journey where she could get out-of-herself for a little while. She was not self-conscious, she was not comparing her clothing or shoes with the more-fortunate. That black cape hid every physical difference between her and the rest of the women in that salon.
My hope is that she carries that feeling of equivalence, importance, confidence and belonging through her life, in her job search and career, and in her relationships.
Oh, the zillions of hair stylists in the world. Do you have any idea what power you possess?
I love being a woman, and I desperately BELIEVE in women. So, here's the big magic, my friends...Color It Forward, Inc, a 501(c)(3) was founded in the beautiful year of 2015 to support women. We promote the economic independence of women in transition through a network of cosmetologists and hair salons. We offer these services to those gals who are actively seeking employment to improve the quality of life for themselves and their families.
Good stuff. Great cause. Amazing, capable, and intelligent women.
So there you have it, the reveal. As promised a few months ago, here is the movement and the opportunity for kindness, an avenue to give back to the very population that makes up the majority of the beauty industry. Color It Forward's Salon Affiliates are doing great things here in New Jersey, and we are currently preparing to become a multi-state organization.
Want to know more? www.color-it-forward.org (website under construction, be patient).
