Nail salons, tanning, waxing and most beauty services have been forced to close – but hairdressers have been deemed ‘essential’ and are still operating.
While popular portrayals of hairdressers and beauticians present them as “bimbos”, salons can also provide a refuge for clients to share painful realities.
Traditionally, African women wore their hair in different ways to signify class or marriage status. Now with globalisation, hair is becoming less traditionalised and more politicised.
By pre-school children are already thinking about the career they will have when they grow up, and ruling out jobs that do not fit with their gender. We need to get in early to get rid of stereotypes.