Take Pride + Support Inclusivity in the Beauty Industry
Bold, lively and colorful, June is Pride Month—an opportunity to celebrate all that uniqueness that actually bring us together. It’s about living freely and connecting to your true, authentic self. It’s about inclusivity, acceptance, and of course love. And as beauty industry professionals, we have the fortunate opportunity to play a role in supporting the LGBTQIA+ community be creating a culture of belonging where people feel safe to be their true selves and achieve their full purpose and potential. As we celebrate Pride, it’s time to work together as skincare professionals and provide a place that recognizes the importance of diversity in our community and help everyone feel beautiful in their own skin.
Pride Month should be more than just parades and celebrations, but a catalyst for continued support of the LGBTQIA+ movement. As a business owner, if you aren’t part of the LGBTQIA+ community yourself, but are ready to show your support, consider making sure the bulk of your allyship efforts focus on action. Showing your LGBTQIA+ local community, customers and employees that you are an ally acknowledges that you understand that we still live in a time when rights are being questioned, and that some are still unable to live freely as their authentic self. Luckily, as a beauty industry business owner if you are committed to Pride Month, it’s not that hard take the next step and look for ways to continuously support LGBTQ+ rights. Ready to make sure your business is a safe and welcoming place to everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion or disability? Here are some tips to show your support beyond the month of June and make allyship and Pride a year-round thing.
Start with Pride
Use Pride as an opportunity to leverage the huge amount of awareness on LGBTQIA+ issues by connecting and educating yourself and your staff—everyone that works in your salon should understand the issues. Look for opportunities to learn together about the broad spectrum of challenges the LGBTQIA+ community faces by meeting with local organizations. Encourage your employees to keep their eyes open to experiences and conversations they may hear from your customers. You can also make an effort to walk in a parade together and invite your customers and friends to walk with you as a group. If you aren’t part of the LGBTQIA+ community yourself, the best course of action is to listen to those who are—both when you’re planning any activity for Pride Month or looking for ways to be an ongoing ally.
Show Your Support
Whether that’s a sticker in your window, a rainbow flag proudly displayed outside your business, or a badge on your website, demonstrating that you are LGBTQIA+ friendly will be reassuring for members of the community. The goal is to make your business inclusive for your customers and let people know about it.
- Add gender pronouns to your name tags and train staff to be respectful of pronouns
- Have inclusivity trainings for your staff
- Install a gender-neutral restroom for customers
- Hire a diverse and inclusive team
- Make your business ADA compliant
- Offer to host inclusive community events in your space
- Declare that you are “Open to All” and join this non-profit movement fighting to build a nation where all are welcome
Walk the Talk
Go beyond in your efforts by considering your connections. If you work with companies that are actively hostile to or discriminate against LGBTQIA+ people, then you’re indirectly doing harm as a business owner yourself. Consider using products in your salon from LGBTQIA+ owned businesses or those that look to actually support the movement vs. just capitalizing on it. You could even consider partnering with them to co-create an item or experience. These types of efforts as a beauty business owner can go a long way in creating a place where everyone feels safe, respected and accepted in every aspect of their lives.