On June 1, make up and beauty retail chain Sephora began providing free programming for the transgender and non-binary community through its Classes for Confidence.
Sephora Stands
According to them, Sephora’s Classes for Confidence program, which is part of the company’s Sephora Stands initiative, launched in 2016.
The series of complimentary in-store classes is designed to help people who are going through major life transitions. Through the past few years, the 90-minute classes have catered to people who were re-entering the workforce or who were receiving cancer treatments.
This new class — the company’s third curriculum to date — will be taught by “transgender Sephora cast members,” them reported. According to Sephora Stands, the new class is called Bold Beauty for the Transgender Community.
The new class
The class has been in the making for two years, Corrie Conrad, head of social impact and sustainability at Sephora, said.
According to them, Conrad said, “We held focus groups and worked with our employees experiencing their own gender journeys to help determine class content, sensitivity training procedures, and to help figure out which stores would make the most sense.”
“The trans and non-binary community is a beloved part of our community and we want to be allies. That’s the point of all our programming: Whether you’re entering the workforce or questioning your gender, that’s a major life transition. We want to be there for you.”
The classes are available at 150 store locations.
According to them, the company also will provide video tutorials on Sephora’s various YouTube channels. The videos will be led by Sephora’s trans Beauty Advisors and will cover “color correction, smoothing the skin, and other topics suggested during focus groups with trans members of the community,” them reported.
Learning from the community
Dominique Anderson, a color consultant at a New York City Sephora, is one of the people the company consulted concerning the new transgender course.
“There was a time that I felt as a trans person I had no idea where I fit into beauty,” Anderson said, via them.
“I’d walk into certain cosmetic stores and feel out of place and hesitant to approach anyone. It was when I began shopping at Sephora that I knew it was a place where I was free to be myself. Sephora welcomed me with open arms and it’s why I work at this company,” Anderson continued.
“During these classes, I hope to teach clients tricks that I use myself to soften up features and achieve certain looks. I want to instill confidence in my clients so that when they walk out of Sephora, they feel comfortable letting the world know who they are.”
What this means for you
If you are a transgender person who is new to the cam game and think you need a few makeup tips, consider going to this course if it’s scheduled at a local store near you.
Although we haven’t had the opportunity to check out the course, it appears to be a great opportunity. And the fact that the company has looked to transgender cast members for insights, as well positioning trans makeup artists in course leadership and artistic roles — and has also done a lot of work via sensitivity training —makes us think (and hope) the class will be inclusive and safe.
If we ever hear otherwise, we’ll update this article.
Go here to find a class happening near you, and check out this promo video — super lovely!
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Abbie Stutzer is a writer and editor from Lawrence, Kansas. Find her on Twitter at @abbiestutzer and on Insta at @abbiestutzer. Email her at abbie@ynotcam.com.
