Hi everyone! Today I have the opportunity to talk about self-expression in the workplace, tolerance in the team, the hairdressing industry and stereotypes related to it, as well as non-binarity in the workplace with a well-known and respected Polish hair stylist, Brian!
What an announcement, I’m very pleased haha wonderful, hello to everyone and thank you for inviting me!
Could you tell us something about your education and career path so far?
Sure, well, as it was said, I am a hairstylist. I chose hairdressing because I didn’t know what to choose when I finished high school. I have always felt a passion for colors and art, so I decided to go hairdressing.
I spent two years in hairdressing school. I come from a small town in the south-east of Poland, where everyone who had big dreams tried to move out quickly. Yes, and I felt that I did not belong there. I wanted to gain experience and move to a larger city, e.g. Krakow. I quickly realized that the school could not offer me much. I have learned everything I can in training and in my daily work, during various internships and working in many hairdressing studios.
However, it is especially difficult at the beginning, hardly anyone wants to give respect to someone without experience. “Humility” is the key word. However, it worked and now I am fulfilling myself as a hairdresser. I mainly do alternative hairstyles, I do avant-garde, crazy colors, mullets, alternative cuts and solutions.
Have you ever encountered intolerance about your appearance or any other issue? If so, could you elaborate on what it was like?
I hear insulting epithets against myself every day. both in a small town in Sanok and in a large city like Krakow. it doesn’t depend on the place, it’s just the people the way they are. When I was 20 I was very concerned about the vulgar jokes I was hearing. Every day on the street for years, at least once a day I hear comments about my appearance, but over time, when I turned 30, I realized that what they say is only a reflection of their self-confidence, or rather lack of it. Now I still hear comments about myself but my attitude has changed dramatically. I feel immune. Sometimes people shout after me words like “f***t”, they also shout “It is not Halloween you f*****g weirdo”.
How do you deal with such situations on a daily basis? And do you think conforming to social norms is the way out?
I think you should ask yourself why someone who does not play any role in our lives should be important enough to care for his opinion. I think that a longer reflection on this issue can help a lot. People will always talk about us anyway, we have no influence on it, but we have influence on whether we are happy or not.