When one thinks of hair styling, makeup, manicures, the face of the attendant or specialist that crosses one’s mind usually would be that of a female. This is because such jobs over time have been ‘designated’ feminine. That is no longer true again these days. Women have not only got used to seeing men at their favourite salons but they now celebrate them.
Some go as far as requesting their favourite male stylist or waiting in line till they can have him work on them!
These days it’s common place to see the men dominating different areas in the beauty industry. One finds men, these day, working as nail technicians, male makeup artists, hair stylists and so on. In a world where the women can barely be found in a ‘male dominated’ profession, the men in the beauty world. They can be aptly said to have come, seen and conquered. They are definitely giving the women a run for their money and it’s all in good faith.
Some of the men in these professions spoke to The Next Edition on how the workplace has been for them and how they have been received.
Kingsley Ikechukwu, a hair stylist as well as a graduate in Engineering said, “I’ve been doing this for approximately seven years. I’ve always been interested in hair styling even as a child but I read Engineering because my mother wanted me to. When I finished I worked in a firm but as it wasn’t what I wanted, I quit after series of suspensions.”
He also spoke about how he is treated as a man in the profession.
“At first I used to dodge and not be up front about what I do, but at some point I let it go. When I go to some places where people are not so exposed, they still look at me like a rarity but that’s okay by me,” he said.
On how the women react when they see him he said, “Women prefer male hairstylists because they feel men will take their time more as opposed to the female hair stylists. They appreciate a guy more in this line of work.”
A nail technician, Utibe Essien, who has been plying his trade for eight years now has this to say of his chosen profession: “My cousin introduced me to it. I actually didn’t have the passion for it at the time. I had a good introduction to the business, maybe because it was my cousin’s shop.”
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When asked if he now has the passion for the job he replied: “I am in love with the work now. Through it I’ve met great people and it has exposed me to many good things in life. I feel blessed and honored to be doing it.”
Geogre Best who is a budding makeup artist said the love to make people look good made him to go into the job.
“I went into it because I love transforming people. Men in the makeup world are gaining so much recognition; look at Mario and what he does with Kim Kardashian. Because of people like him and others, people now actually are excited when a male makeup artist turns up to do their faces. They are curious to see how you will perform and because of that I always try to do my best. It’s really an exciting profession.”
Another hair stylist who is also a university graduate, Niyi Etioloja, spoke on how he started making hair while in the university.
“I’m self taught mostly but I have been doing it professionally for six years now. Back in school, I didn’t believe I would be doing it. I got a job to manage a spa and I talked to them to introduce a salon and by God’s grace we have done quite well. I’ve not had an awkward experience since I started; people are always intrigued that I am doing this as a graduate. The only question they ask me is if I’m gay and I quickly tell them that I’m very straight.”
He added: “I don’t see myself ever changing profession. The beauty industry in Africa is worth over a billion dollars and several hundred million in Nigeria. If anything, I see myself getting better at it and growing.”
Two other nail technicians, Adewole Adetola and Jide Moshood, who work in Lekki area of Lagos State also spoke well about their career choices. Both of them were introduced to it by friends as a way to change their career and both have found love and acceptance in the profession.
With the impact the men appear to be making and the passion they have exhibited, it will soon be a thing of the past to consider some work described as simply for women.
