Kulak (2023) has described marketing and communication in gender-inclusive salons, explaining that gender-neutral marketing materials are used to avoid references like “ladies’ styling” or “male waxing,” instead choosing unbiased aesthetics that are welcoming to all and not utilizing binary decor that may deter a broader clientele. Regarding communication, shop members learn and use gender-neutral pronouns through self-education and by asking clients about their preferences. Further, Salon magazine (2022) referred to honorifics, booking, and products, explaining practices like updating booking systems to allow clients to include chosen names and pronouns, removing gender honorifics like Mr. or Mrs., or adding gender-neutral honorifics like Mx. Examples of different pronouns are illustrated in Figure 2.
Figure 2. Gender Identity Pronouns
The above information describes what gender-inclusive hair salons may look like. It lists information relevant to sex and gender, practices supporting diverse sexual orientations, understanding the client’s wishes in utilizing the language, and commonly used terms and pronouns. The next task is to explain how to incorporate this information and its practices into shops. INCORPORATING A GENDER INCLUSIVITY APPROACH INTO HAIR SALONS
2. Schedule professional development meetings. Shop owners should assess the performances of employees and the shop. Individually with employees, goals should be made about personal life, professional achievements, financial wellbeing, and wellness. Goals should also be made as a team, where shop owners and employees set benchmarks and hold each other accountable. 3. Get your team thinking and talking. Ask them questions and encourage them to take the initiative by stepping up as valued team members. Learn their professional plans and what they want to achieve in their careers. 4. Establish performance metrics. Analyze your team’s performance and ask for their input on what works and what does not. After this is accomplished, set growth metrics. This step identifies the tools and processes needed to achieve the noted goals. 5. Assess your team's morale to ensure a positive work environment. This process begins by evaluating individual and group performances. This method is critical in identifying unhandled issues. 6. Develop options to fulfill requests using gathered information from the prior steps. Consider exercises like team-building techniques and continuing education classes on subjects needed to strengthen your salon's culture. 7. Make improvements, achievements, and accomplishing milestones fun for your team. Celebrate each area of success and provide valued incentives for significant achievements. 8. Develop a realistic and workable plan that is appropriate for your salon, remembering and prioritizing its unique needs.
Establishing gender inclusivity in hair salons is crucial because it breaks the traditional association of femininity and masculinity in beauty and barber salons into spaces where all people of different sexes, genders, and sexual orientations feel welcomed and comfortable. In recent years, hair salons have become gender-neutral spaces for hair care. The days of binary haircare serving, with beauty salons catering more to the attraction of female clients and barber shops tailoring more to male customers, are shifting into times of gender-inclusive transformations (XuCathy, 2023). Therefore, collecting tips on achieving this approach is vital when planning to develop a more inclusive salon. Salon Direct (2024) has highlighted five methods for developing gender inclusivity in hair salons. The first step is recruiting the right talent. Shop owners should focus intensely on adding diversity and inclusivity to their shops. The first approach to this is to interview potential staff members with specializations in different disciplines or identities with gender communities. Then hire a diverse staff with skilled techniques to serve a varied clientele base. For example, suppose the salon’s specialization is in cuts and color. The shop owner must hire team members with the knowledge and skill set to provide expert services in color and haircutting that fit clients of many demographics. The stylists should be knowledgeable and capable of advising clients of styles, cuts, and coloring services currently fashionable in different communities and cultures. Having or acquiring this skill set helps diverse people look how they feel (Salon Direct, 2024). We must acknowledge that hiring a new team to provide gender-neutral services is a process of building a new culture for the salon. Rosa Salon Software (2024) shared 10 steps useful for building and maintaining a salon culture: 1. Prioritize what is best for your team’s well-being. Your team’s health, happiness, and well-being are essential. As a shop owner, it is vital to encourage a good work-life balance. Shop owners should help employees be satisfied in their work life and provide opportunities to advance in their careers.
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