Issue link: https://www.ahpindiestylist.com/i/1250436
N ot a m e m b e r ? J o i n at a s so c iate d h a i rp rofe s sio n a ls .c o m 17 s a licensed manicurist and salon owner, I get paid to do nails—as do thousands of my colleagues in salons across the country. Except now. Nearly all of us are not doing much business at all because the personal contact inherent in providing nail services makes our work incompatible with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) social distancing guidelines, and most governors have specifically ordered salon and spa businesses to remain closed until further notice. Adding professional insult to economic injury, our work does not meet the standard of being "essential." Despite the value clients place on us—and we on ourselves—we are not as important as we thought. But we are not being singled out. Hair, skin care, and massage professionals cannot provide services while maintaining social distance either. Who could have imagined that the very thing that gave us confidence we could never be outsourced would eliminate us from the workforce? THE NEW NORMAL Our sense of normalcy has been destroyed. We are forced to confront everything we may lose (or have already lost), and we cannot possibly expect—in such a diverse industry—that we all will be impacted equally. Experiences will obviously differ according to variables like geography, health, ethnicity, finances, resiliency, and information access. Existing disparities have already resulted in more negative outcomes for the most vulnerable among us. Our New Normal Navigating ethical salon ownership during—and after—COVID-19 by Jaime Schrabeck, PhD Who could have imagined that the very thing that gave us confidence we could never be outsourced would eliminate us from the workforce?