JOIN USThe last decade has witnessed a veritable revolution in the beauty industry. What was once perceived to be a mildly degrading vocation has now morphed into a career that offers expansive opportunities — and paychecks — to the thousands of graduates in the City who take it up every year.
With interest in the fashion industry growing to epic proportions, it’s only natural that the demand for the beauty industry has as well; each fashion show hosted in Bangalore calls for a bevy of hair-stylists, make-up artists, manicurists and all manner of beauticians.
“Fashion is glamourous and so people in the beauty industry get a lot more respect,” explains Robert, a make-up artist.
“These days, corporate affairs, store launches and all sorts of events are somehow linked to fashion,” he adds.
He isn’t lying; nearly every occasion in the City is glamourised with a fashion show — be it for a clothing store, software release or even an ice-cream outlet — and this obsession spells unending business for beauticians and make-up artists. The irony, however, is that many of them never imagined they’d end up in this career. Robert was trained in the
art of make-up in Manipur, his hometown, but never dreamt of taking it up full
time because he assumed it would never translate into a lucrative profession.
“Ten years back, people didn’t have any respect for the beauty industry and there was no scope in it — especially for guys. I kept aside the idea and came to Bangalore to study, and while I was in college, I started doing make-up for the models at
inter-collegiate competitions. People from the industry recognised my work and
encouraged me and after training for a while in Mumbai, I’ve started doing professional shows. There’s a lot of demand for beauticians today — the field requires lots of creative
people,” he explains.
Zarin Nissar, a make-up artist and hair stylist, agrees that demand for the industry is swelling. “I’ve been in the industry for the last 20 years and it’s grown so much in that space of time — I think today, people are a lot more conscious about the way they look.
When I got married, I did my own make-up — but today, the norm is to have it professionally done. A sense of materialism has come in and this kind of attitude is rampant,” she notes.
This attitude is perfectly reflected in kind of paychecks that beauticians take home. A decade ago, Robert remembers earning Rs 500 for a fashion show — today, artists charge a cool Rs 10,000.
Zarin adds, “People have money and they want to spend it on looking good. There is no rule, per se, stating what one can charge; artists charge according to their fancy and I know parlours in the City which demand exorbitant fees for doing hair and make-up — and people are willing to pay that.”
Prakrith, a stylist who shuttles between Delhi and Bangalore, says that the demand for the beauty industry is a repercussion of the influence of celebrity culture creeping into everyday lifestyle.
“Two decades ago, people didn’t hire stylists to do their hair and make-up for parties — they simply did it themselves. But as the stars began to hire a bunch of stylists to accompany them, this sort of behaviour trickled down to the socialite crowd and now everybody seems to be doing it,” he explains, adding, “the beauty industry isn’t a luxury today — it’s considered a necessity.”