How this Kentville salon is a safe haven for 2SLGBTQ+ clients
Farrah Ferguson will never forget the feeling of pure joy they felt when they shaved their head for the first time.
"I looked in the mirror and I said, 'Oh my God, I look so cute,'" said Ferguson. "That was the moment of, 'Oh wow, this is really how I want to express myself.'"
They said for years, people would discourage them from having anything but long locks, which is why when Bridge Beauty Bar opened in downtown Kentville, N.S., last year, Ferguson became a returning customer.
"There are a lot of places you can go to have hair and esthetics done in the valley, which I'm sure they all have their own merits. But as gender-diverse people …not everybody always feels safe going into a traditional salon or barbershop," said Ferguson.
"Some people are afraid of how they will be perceived, whether there will be assumptions made about who they are and how they present," they said. "So it's really important to be able to walk in somewhere and know, 'I belong here.'"
When Mel Hiltz, a trans and non-binary hairstylist, opened the Bridge Beauty Bar in January 2024, that's exactly what they wanted to achieve.
The salon fosters a safe space for clients, while breaking down gender norms in the beauty industry by providing gender-affirming haircuts and services.
Hiltz said one of the best feelings is being able to give someone a haircut that allows them to express who they truly are.
"It is probably the most rewarding part of my job," said Hiltz.
Hiltz moved from Halifax to the valley as an effort to bring more queer-owned businesses to rural Nova Scotia.
"I think one of the biggest worries going into any new space as a trans or non-binary person is that you're going to get misgendered, or you're going to be judged," said Hiltz.
In hopes of erasing this worry for their clients, Bridge Beauty Bar has implemented a number of practices, including asking for the client's name and pronouns ahead of an appointment.
Staff also share their pronouns with clients, and are thoughtful about the language they choose. For example, they might use terms like "soft" or "flowy" to describe someone's hair, instead of "feminine," said Hiltz.
The salon is also equipped with gender-neutral washrooms and offers pricing based on the time spent in the chair, as opposed to having different prices for men and women.
The Dresscode Project
These efforts are all part of an initiative called The Dresscode Project, a campaign to create safe spaces in salons for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.
The group was founded in Toronto by hairstylist Kristin Rankin, and has over 500 member salons and shops in North America, including six in Nova Scotia. There's a directory on its website where clients can locate businesses associated with the project.
There are several criteria to become a member of The Dresscode Project, but most notably, the salon must choose at least one day per year to offer free haircuts to 2SLGBTQ+ clients.
"This fun, and often life-changing event allows those to see themselves for the first time, helping to shift their gender dysphoria into euphoria," says the website.
Hiltz and their staff hosted this year's event on Wednesday, to coincide with the annual Valley Pride festival. They provided free haircuts or waxing services to about 25 clients.
Hiltz said for their first client of the day, it was her first gender-affirming haircut.
"We were both almost in tears by the end of it," said Hiltz.
Client Kiran Awrey, emphasized how significant these offerings are, as they too have had experiences in the past at salons where stylists assumed their gender and what style they'd want.
"The hairdresser's kind of inputting what they think would look good or pretty on me when … I wasn't going to look like a woman necessarily," said Awrey.
Awrey is now a loyal customer at Hiltz's salon, but said the business represents something more than a place to get haircuts.
"[To] continue now into their second year is also really important for the community to see that queer business and queer people thrive here. It's just heartwarming to see that there's kind of this beacon for us," said Awrey.
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