AFH SALON, Annie Fisher Hair

I’m showing up on this platform to build my brand, my salon, and share my art and my book, but the bigger reason I’m here is to build community. And after 8 months of consistency, it’s actually working.

I’ve met so many amazing new people on this platform all over the world, and I’ve been overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I’ve received. It just brings me back to why I’m doing all of this…because I know there are LOTS of us out there.

I’m going to keep showing up so we can continue to find each other. ✌🏼

I have been blown away by the relationships and connections I’ve made on this platform since I started showing up 8 months ago as a midlife hairstylist.

From other people navigating their 40s and 50s in the beauty industry to fellow debut authors, it’s been incredible to meet so many new people all over the world and get to know one another better on this app.

If you want to hang out with us, there’s a seat at the table for you, too. Make sure you’re following along for more content like this.

Let me be the first to tell you this in case you don’t already know: Midlife in the beauty industry is AMAZING.

Society wants us to believe that hairstylists in their 40s, 50s, and beyond are just supposed to quietly fade into the background while the younger stylists take the stage, but now is actually our chance to reinvent ourselves.

We get to lead, mentor, and learn from the younger generations just as much as we teach. We get to show up with the ease and confidence that comes in middle-age. We get to hone in on what we truly want the second act of our career to feel like.

In my book Love Is In the Hair, I talk a lot about what transitioning into the next phase of my career in the beauty industry looked like. Whether you’re a hairstylist, a mid-lifer like me, or just a curious person…I truly believe there are lessons for everyone within its pages.

You can pick it up on Amazon, at Barnes & Noble, or order it at your favorite independent book store.

I DO NOT consent to become invisible in my 40s, 50s, and beyond.

I DO NOT consent to fade away into mid-life or stay quiet and accept « insignificance ».

And you shouldn’t either, sister.

I’m gonna keep showing up and showing out (even when it feels awkward) so that more women my age can feel relevant and inspired to age out loud.

Hit follow to see more content like this every Thursday

I didn’t choose the hype girl life, the hype girl life chose me. It’s my default setting.

Whether I’m connecting with other hairstylists, other moms, or other authors…it’s never about competition. It’s a collaborative part of the process, and lifting one another up is one of the most important parts of the community I dream of building.

Your shine doesn’t take away from mine, or anyone else’s for that matter. There’s room for all of us at the table.

One of the reasons I am relentlessly passionate about building a community of hairstylists and beauty professionals on this platform who “get it” is because we need each other SO much more than we realize.

Showing up to work every day with a happiness mask on is so normalized in our industry, even when we’re going through the hardest chapters of our lives.

I’m not saying we should be trauma dumping on our clients or abandoning professionalism, but I do think the world as a whole needs to recognize that hairstylists are human, too. We go through hard things just like anyone else, and forcing ourselves to “act okay” every day isn’t just harmful, it’s disingenuous and misses a vital opportunity for authentic human connection.

If you’re on the same page, make sure you’re following along, because we really do need one another. 🩵

Listen, I love hairstylists in their 20s. I love their fresh energy and their fun ideas. But as a midlife hairstylists, it’s really important that we see people on our feeds that look like us.

Middle-aged women are underrepresented on social media to begin with, and even more so in the beauty industry, where “youthfulness” always seems to be the goal.

If you want to see more content about working in the beauty industry in your 40s, 50s, and beyond, make sure you’re following along.

One of the coolest things about writing a book is seeing it in the hands of so many other people.

It’s one thing to hear that someone read it or read a review, but it’s another thing entirely to actually see other humans physically holding the work that I poured my soul into.

Please keep sharing your photos of Love Is In The Hair!

Honestly, I’ve learned to care a lot less if people think I’m being cringe on the internet.

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care at all, because I’m human, and of course I care what people think. But I’m proud of the fact that I care a little less than I did when I began this journey 8 months ago!

Make sure to follow if you want to see more content like this every Thursday.