Challenging stereotypes - A beauty salon for everyone
At the "Grand Beauty" salon in Leipzig, people with a refugee or migrant background
work as hairdressers, make-up artists and manicurists on a donation basis, with the goal to uproot prejudices.
work as hairdressers, make-up artists and manicurists on a donation basis, with the goal to uproot prejudices.
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NewsTranscript
00:00 Mara Hesse is fighting against racism with the help of makeup and mascara in the intercultural
00:12 Grand Beauty Salon.
00:16 I think our society desperately needs people coming into contact with each other.
00:20 And that's something that happens very quickly in a beauty salon.
00:24 But can facials and manicures really tear down barriers and help to overcome prejudice?
00:44 Those who work in the Grand Beauty Salon in Leipzig are familiar with different preferences
00:49 and beauty standards between cultures.
00:52 The international team consists, nearly exclusively, of people with a refugee or migrant background.
01:00 Most are professionally trained in their craft and some self-taught.
01:03 But every client seems to appreciate their know-how.
01:09 It's different here than in other beauty salons.
01:11 I've only been once before to a beauty salon in Germany.
01:14 And then I went because of a friend.
01:18 Many of the clients are migrants who rarely or never go to a beauty salon in Germany.
01:24 They feel uncomfortable.
01:26 And sometimes wearing a headscarf makes a visit to a conventional hairdresser impossible.
01:34 You can just close your eyes while I apply the makeup.
01:37 Maybe try to relax a bit.
01:41 Did you get here okay?
01:44 Mara wants the Grand Beauty Salon to be a safe space.
01:52 A place where they like to be treated, where they feel comfortable, where they don't get
01:56 any comments about the texture of their hair or skin color, but can just have a seat and
02:02 share their thoughts about anything.
02:05 Sometimes in a more critical way.
02:12 Mara says that a visit to the beautician in Germany can often turn into a discriminatory
02:16 experience for people of color.
02:19 And she has little doubt about the reasons for this.
02:25 Misguided beauty standards, which are both extremely Western and white.
02:30 They can leave a person feeling inadequate if they don't correspond to this ideal of
02:33 beauty.
02:34 Especially since they might not fit in with any other.
02:41 Many salons only carry cosmetic products for lighter skin tones.
02:46 I've often tried to use makeup for white skin.
02:52 And it makes me feel like a clown.
02:59 But here it's all very natural.
03:01 So I'm very grateful.
03:05 In the salon, guests can rediscover their own beauty and gain self-confidence.
03:12 While getting some inspiration from other cultures, for example, when it comes to the
03:16 styling of nails.
03:28 In Venezuela, nails usually have various designs.
03:31 And they're much longer.
03:35 Here they're more natural.
03:37 And the colors are also lighter.
03:44 There may be some designs, but they're smaller and more discreet.
03:56 Don't worry, it doesn't have to be perfect.
04:00 Frauke Frech is an artist and cultural educator.
04:03 She founded the Grand Beauty project.
04:06 For a long time, Grand Beauty was a mobile beauty salon, moving between German cities
04:11 where Frauke and her team organized workshops.
04:15 But the permanent location here in Leipzig has been open for a year now.
04:22 We often see first-time encounters between people who otherwise wouldn't have crossed
04:26 paths in their everyday lives.
04:28 In places where communities simply don't meet.
04:32 Because people are more likely to stay in their own circles, speaking the same language.
04:42 Leipzig-Grunau is one of the largest prefabricated housing estates built in the former GDR.
04:48 Nowadays it's a low-income area where many residents have a negative view of foreigners.
04:54 The intercultural salon is located right here inside a park.
04:58 Mara wants to use her work there to educate people.
05:01 As a young Muslim woman, her own experiences have made it clear that this is a much-needed
05:07 task.
05:08 Islamophobia is very noticeable when dealing with the German authorities and within the
05:15 school system.
05:16 I have many nieces and nephews with whom I love spending time.
05:21 And it drives me crazy when I'm told again and again, "Wow, you speak such good German."
05:31 Then I would like to reply, "Yes, dear, I'd sure hope so, since I was born here and German
05:35 is my native language."
05:37 Even worse are the people who make nasty comments, try to spit at me, move away or leave a room
05:42 as soon as I enter, or start asking insensitive questions.
05:53 As the assistant manager, Mara wants the Grand Beauty Salon to be a meeting place, bringing
05:59 people from different cultures together in a relaxed atmosphere and thereby erasing prejudices.
06:10 So you want it shorter down here and a bit longer on the top?
06:13 You have beautiful thin hair, mashallah.
06:21 This is Karin Urban's fourth time in the salon.
06:24 She's lived in Leipzig-Grunau for almost 30 years, but she hardly knows anyone with a
06:28 migrant background.
06:30 There are a few Ukrainians living in our building.
06:38 They're nice people, but it's not easy to talk to them because of the language barrier.
06:44 Their German isn't that good yet.
06:50 This hits close to home for hairdresser Ibtisam Zaher.
06:57 In 2015, Ibtisam crossed the Mediterranean Sea to flee the civil war in Libya before
07:03 arriving in Germany.
07:05 Shaving hair has allowed her to improve her German and make new contacts.
07:13 I've had no problems with the customers.
07:16 They're all nice and friendly.
07:19 And so is my team.
07:24 Yes, it really is a great team, right?
07:30 I've noticed.
07:32 Last time, for example, when so many were sitting outside.
07:37 Ibtisam had her own hair salon in Libya, and achieving the same in Germany is her biggest
07:42 professional goal.
07:46 I would like to open a salon of my own, but it's hard for me.
07:54 I have my job, but in Germany you need to be certified as a master craftsman before
07:59 you can open your own salon.
08:03 And then you need a lot of money.
08:11 Even though most of the conversation with clients is small talk, the connections create
08:15 a greater mutual understanding.
08:19 There are many obstacles, for sure.
08:29 Until she finds a permanent job in Germany, Ibtisam can keep practicing and gain recognition
08:35 for her craft at Grand Beauty.
08:43 The beauticians work on a donation basis, and the project is funded by grants.
08:50 Many on the Grand Beauty team have only been granted temporary protection as refugees and
08:55 don't have work permits.
08:57 The volunteer hours only count as an internship, but they increase the chances of obtaining
09:03 a residence permit.
09:07 Since our program is part of an art project, it gives people the opportunity to work on
09:11 a voluntary basis.
09:13 You don't necessarily need a residence permit for that.
09:18 And if everything works out well, if everyone gets along and is ready to turn this into
09:22 a part-time job, we'll continue down that path.
09:29 Ideally working in a salon could be a stepping stone to getting into the German beauty industry.
09:35 Which could do with a lot more diversity, according to Mara.
09:45 In Berlin, Mara teaches at the German Pop Academy, a training center for aspiring makeup
09:51 artists.
09:53 And on the side, she freelances as one herself.
09:57 The fact that she hasn't been offered a permanent job anywhere, she traces back to her headscarf.
10:06 I would have loved to train as a hairdresser.
10:09 But I didn't fit in so well with the teams at the salons where I applied.
10:13 Not even after getting my diploma as a makeup artist and hair designer.
10:18 So to be able to dress the way I like, I had to start my own business.
10:27 In today's class, she doubles as a model while teaching.
10:32 The German Pop Academy is an international school with locations worldwide and a diverse
10:38 student body.
10:39 But Germany's beauty industry still mostly revolves around everything related to white
10:44 bodies.
10:47 The fact that so many of those who train hairdressers in Germany simply know nothing about how to
10:52 treat afro hair is a disaster.
10:56 It's absolutely absurd and definitely needs to be dealt with.
11:02 How is it possible that this is being incorporated in the training in England, for example?
11:08 But here in Germany, the curriculum has nothing on this topic.
11:21 To change this, Mara is now working with the German Pop Academy to revise the curriculum.
11:30 Afro hair, Arabic Kohl or Asian eyeliner.
11:34 She wants to train for all her customers' needs.
11:37 Even if the models remain Western European for the time being.
11:43 If you have normal hair, spray it with something first, so that it doesn't get all fuzzy.
11:50 Mara is convinced that beauty salons can promote tolerance and that the Grand Beauty Salon
11:56 in Leipzig can serve as an example.
12:00 I think this is exactly what we need.
12:03 We need to play places like this, to come together, even if we don't like each other
12:07 on the street or don't want to look at each other.
12:10 The best thing is when something changes inside our customers and they get a new perspective.
12:18 [Music]