Today we’d like to introduce you to Stephannie Myette.
Hi, Stephannie; thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstory.
I became a mom at 21, and while experiencing the “motherhood” tax, I quit my corporate job and began going to school to be a LADC. I became pregnant with my second child in the semester before my internship. Feeling like being a parent, pregnant, doing a full-time unpaid internship, working full-time to support my family, and being a full-time student to qualify for financial aid was too much to handle – I switched my major. I ended up graduating with honors and an associate of arts. After graduation, I needed to find a job – but what? I quit Corporate America and didn’t want to go back to being underpaid, overworked, and underpromoted for being a single mother. So I asked myself, “When the internet crashes, and we’re all left to our own devices, bartering, what do I have to offer?” I’ve always loved beauty; I grew up braiding my friends’ hair, which continued when I had my daughter. Getting manis and pedis was my consistent self-care; I loved nails, so I enrolled in beauty school. I always say that I am beyond grateful to have made it through beauty school. I was blessed to have people who supported me through that period of life. I was Then a single mother of two, going to school full time, working three jobs, and then also experiencing a major tragedy that led to some tough times. But I made It through. I bartended my way through both of my college experiences.
One day, a customer who played on our bar softball team and knew I was In beauty school suggested I come Work with her at her salon. So, I went in for an interview and started working in a curly hair salon while still in beauty school, and I continued there after graduating. I had no idea then that I had found the space where my passion met my purpose. I am type A. I like rules. I like structure. I like constants. When I started working at a curly hair salon, I remember my beauty school teachers telling me I’d hate it because curly hair is never the same. There is no “constant.” But honestly, curly hair has given me the ability to let things be perfectly imperfect and take things day by day (because we all know day one is so different from day three). I graduated from beauty school in 2019. While working at my first curly hair salon in MPLS, we experienced COVID and the murder of George Floyd. While always advocating for everyone disenfranchised, after my involvement in the protests that swept the city, I asked myself how to be an advocate and ally in my everyday life.
Here is where my passion met my purpose. After self-exploration and seeking information on true allyship, I realized I could dismantle white supremacy with curly hair. I can counteract the historical Eurocentric beauty standards that permeate the beauty industry. I can help people feel good and love themselves and their hair as it grows from their heads! I get to un-“other” folks with curly hair. My mission is to be an intentionally anti-racist, POC-centered, curly hair-focused salon. This space didn’t exist – so I created it!
Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
There are so many “obstacles.” But in reality, I truly believe that every “obstacle” is an opportunity; you’re being moved to where you’re meant to be. I embrace everything I thought was sent to work against me because it always ends up working in my favor, placing me exactly where I’m meant to be and teaching me lessons I need to learn.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
Style Suite is an intentionally anti-racist, POC-centered, curly hair-focused salon. I specialize In curly hair and love tight curls! The tighter, the better. My goal is to pour into a community of overwhelmingly underserved curls and build the trust necessary to access that community. Outside of hair, I am extremely passionate about the human behind it. We make such special bonds. Curly hair takes time, so we spend a lot of time together! I also love kids’ cuts. It is life-changing to teach tiny humans to love their curly hair! And help their caregivers with the tools to care for their curls!
What would you say has been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
Hmm. Great question. The most important lesson I’ve learned in my career thus far as a curly hair stylist is that no one can take what you own: your passion, purpose, and intellectual property. There’s an entire aisle for bread.
Contact Info:
- Website: Www.stylesuitemn.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/style_suite_mn?igsh=MWJ0cnhhaTNreTJhMg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/salonservicessteph?mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@style_suite_mn?_r=1&_d=e2jc7ia460363i&sec_uid=MS4wLjABAAAA9ODhW5iGig3kDjJki4X0y0snyaKltvD3Erc5b4QHy1Ki8_6PG5oY6XDnQ-cORbKC&share_author_id=7118953340302967854&sharer_language=en&source=h5_m&u_code=e2jc819hfg9df2&ug_btm=b8727,b0&social_share_type=4&utm_source=copy&sec_user_id=MS4wLjABAAAA9ODhW5iGig3kDjJki4X0y0snyaKltvD3Erc5b4QHy1Ki8_6PG5oY6XDnQ-cORbKC&tt_from=copy&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=client_share&enable_checksum=1&user_id=7118953340302967854&share_link_id=55C5F105-A039-465E-9BDC-BBD4C6CD5D2B&share_app_id=1233
