Community Partnership
Beauty Industry Partnership: Training for Awareness
Beauty Professionals as First Responders: How Miss Julie’s School of Beauty Is Training Rochester’s Stylists to Recognize and Support Trafficking Victims
At Miss Julie’s School of Beauty, we believe beauty professionals have a unique and powerful role to play in healing — not just through hair, skin, and style, but through compassion, awareness, and connection.
Every day, stylists, barbers, estheticians, and nail technicians spend hours in close conversation with their clients — listening, observing, and building trust. What many don’t realize is that this natural closeness places them on the front lines of identification and support for individuals who may be experiencing human trafficking or other forms of exploitation.
That’s why Miss Julie’s created the Assessment and Intervention Training, a trauma-informed program designed to help beauty professionals across Rochester become confident, compassionate first responders in recognizing red flags, responding safely, and connecting clients to help.
Why Beauty Professionals Matter in Anti-Trafficking Work
Survivors often say that one of the few safe spaces they had during their exploitation was a salon chair. For a brief moment, they could relax, be touched gently, or talk without judgment.
Stylists are often the first to notice:
- Signs of fear or control during appointments.
- Unusual injuries, malnourishment, or exhaustion.
- Someone else speaking on behalf of the client or controlling their movements.
- Signs of branding tattoos or repeated cancellations that follow a pattern.
Yet, most professionals have never been trained on what these signs mean or how to respond. Many simply feel unsure — they notice something isn’t right, but they don’t want to cause harm or make assumptions.
That’s where our training comes in.
The Assessment and Intervention Training
Our program gives beauty professionals the tools they need to recognize signs of trafficking, respond with empathy, and connect clients to trusted community resources — without putting themselves or the client at risk.
What Participants Learn:
- Understanding Trauma and Trafficking: How coercion, manipulation, and trauma bonds affect survivors.
- Recognizing Red Flags: Practical examples of what exploitation may look like in a salon setting.
- Responding with Care: How to approach clients safely and respectfully without confrontation.
- Building Safe Environments: How to make your salon a place of safety, privacy, and empowerment.
- Referral and Resource Navigation: Who to call, when to call, and how to maintain confidentiality.
This training is rooted in survivor-led wisdom — created with input from lived-experience leaders who understand both the realities of trafficking and the healing power of beauty spaces.
A Community Movement, Not Just a Class
Since launching the Assessment and Intervention Training, we’ve seen an incredible response from Rochester’s beauty community. Local salons, independent stylists, and beauty students are eager to learn how they can make a difference.
Each training session transforms participants into advocates — not investigators, but compassionate connectors. They learn that simply being a safe, kind, consistent person can be a lifeline for someone in crisis.
As one participant shared after training:
“I realized I may have had a trafficking victim in my chair before — and I didn’t know what to do. Now I know how to respond safely and connect them to help.”
Beyond Awareness — Toward Action
Our goal isn’t just to raise awareness; it’s to change how the beauty industry responds to vulnerability.
When salons, barbershops, and beauty schools across Rochester become trauma-informed spaces, they become part of the safety net for survivors. Every stylist trained is another set of eyes, ears, and hands that can recognize pain and respond with care.
This is how systemic change begins — one conversation, one haircut, one compassionate connection at a time.
A New Model for Beauty Education
At Miss Julie’s, this training isn’t a separate initiative — it’s part of who we are. Our cosmetology students receive trauma-informed education woven throughout their coursework, preparing them to graduate not only as licensed professionals but as healing-centered practitioners.
They learn that beauty isn’t just about appearance — it’s about restoring dignity, rebuilding trust, and creating a safe space where transformation can happen from the inside out.
Join the Movement
We invite beauty professionals, salon owners, and community partners across Rochester to be part of this growing movement.
Together, we can redefine what it means to work in beauty — not just as artists, but as advocates for safety, healing, and hope.
To learn more about Miss Julie’s Assessment and Intervention Training or to bring this program to your salon, contact us at joinus.mjsb@gmail.com
Because when we educate with compassion, every salon chair becomes a place where healing begins and freedom grows.