Fabric of Hair Investigates: Does Hollywood Need To Start Hiring More Black Hairstylists and Makeup Artists?🧐
Despite Hollywood's efforts to indulge to audiences with diverse casting, they have failed to do systemic work behind the scenes to ensure cast members are treated equitably.
Creating a more inclusive topography should be easy; if you’re talented but it’s not so simple, partly because the pool of talent used for movies and television shows primarily comes from a nostalgic school of thought in the labor unions.
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) represents many of the behind-the-scenes workers in the entertainment industry; this group includes more than 375 unions.
Television and film productions must use them to stay in line with the employment rules that they're legally obligated to follow.
These powerful beauty-focused unions require artists to complete a certain number of paid workdays on a film, television, or commercial set and provide documentation in order to apply for membership.
Accumulating the necessary number of hours can be difficult without the right connections. In some cases, experience doing editorial and red-carpet work counts toward those hours; but in many cases, it does not qualify.
Actors have put in requests to have their own makeup artist or hairstylist, but not everyone gets the privilege and not everyone asks for it. It’s also a known fact that producers don't always want to put in their budgets to spend extra money on Black talent.
Many Black actors, actresses in entertainment, have repeatedly spoken out to the injustice of having to do their own hair and makeup on set.
Black actresses and actors are hired to do the same job as their non-black cast members, yet may not be afforded the same experienced talent versed in their skin and hair needs to look and feel confident on set.
For too long, we have turned a blind eye to the need of inclusive workspaces to represent all members of our society, for all workers to have an equal opportunity to enter the entertainment industry.
Some progress is being made, but it's clear that the larger system of the entertainment industry is due for a restructure.
There are steps in the right direction, but we need a quicker pace. Progress will only come if the industry is continuing to be held accountable, whether that be through social media call-outs or more actors advocating for equal treatment on set.
The more uproar that is made, the closer we get to authentic inclusivity. The conversation will continue to pursue moderation until hiring qualified Black hair and makeup artist is no longer a red-tapeism. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hair in photo: Charlotte Mensah