Did you know that the beauty industry employees more than 80% women? And it’s one of the only industries that can’t pivot hard to keep revenue coming in during lockdowns.
Some businesses can push their retail products on e-commerce sites, but the bulk of their revenue (treatments and services) stops immediately for an indefinite amount of time during circuit-breaker lockdowns, and the currently situation in Victoria has already been extended for a week with potential to go even longer. As Victoria, and Greater Melbourne particularly, endure a fourth lockdown during this pandemic, the ABIC have stepped in to help hurting beauty business owners and employees.
“One of our Board Members Tamara Reid (Beaute Industrie) reached out to the Victorian industry today and asked if anyone was running out of food, the response was completely heartbreaking. For the first time, people have reached out in tears and completely broken, accepting what they would normally feel too fearful and timid to ask for…help feeding themselves and their families,” says Stefanie Milla CEO of the ABIC.
The AISC reports that employment levels for beauty therapists fell 50% in 2020. Half of all beauty therapist jobs disappeared in the pandemic. That’s alarming and a call to action if ever there was one.
How do we fix this? It’s a big problem. The multi-billion dollar beauty industry, with its unique needs, is routinely lumped in with retail and hospitality during these lockdowns and it’s not working. There’s a larger conversation to be had around this, organising the industry, advocacy and policy making with and in government, creating awareness and more, much like what we’ve seen with the beauty industry in the UK, with work by the British Beauty Council and the new Beauty Backed Trust. “ABIC’s CEO Stefanie Milla, is currently reaching out Political Ministers to bring attention to the profound need of Victorians,” says the GoFundMe the ABIC and Beauty Industie have organised to buy Victorian beauty business owners and employees in need the essentials, like food. That is how hard hit many in the beauty industry are right now.
To find out more or donate in support of our Victorian beauty industry community, visit the GoFundMe here.
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