Our Mission
Beyond the Chair Co. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that discusses the issues faced by beauty and grooming professionals who have received inadequate education and lack labor protections. Our mission is to promote beauty education reform and facilitate conversations about unionizing beauty workers, including cosmetologists, barbers, estheticians, nail technicians, and makeup artists, while also researching the beauty labor sector.
First, we advocate for cosmetology or barbering certificates to be recognized as transferable college credits, thereby expanding the field of cosmetology by creating higher education pathways. This shift will elevate the cosmetology profession and broaden the career opportunities for those in the beauty labor industry. Our vision is to establish the Beyond the Chair scholarship fund, a crucial resource that will assist cosmetologists returning to college who need to transition away from the physical demands of manual beauty or grooming labor.
"we are advocating for cosmetology certificates to be recognized as transferable college credits to state colleges."
Next, fostering a supportive community can improve industry conditions and ensure that beauty and grooming work is taken as seriously as other trade professions. We aim to facilitate discussions around the establishment of a National Allied Industries Union, a platform that will unite all beauty, grooming, and aesthetic professionals, giving them a stronger voice in the industry. The establishment of this union is not just a goal, but a necessity for the betterment of the beauty industry. We urge policymakers to recognize its importance and support its formation.
Finally, Beyond the Chair hosts independent research studies on the industry, ensuring that the general public and beauty workers have knowledge about the experience of those within the industry. We firmly believe that education is a tool for innovation and a shield against abuse and exploitation. This is why we are committed to advocating for higher education pathways in cosmetology and unionizing beauty professionals to ensure a better future for beauty workers.
Our nonprofit was inspired by Ferguson's essay "Beyond the Chair: The Effects of Late Capitalism on the Cosmetology Industry," which won the Alex Doty Award from Indiana University's Gender Studies Department in 2023.