Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Wednesday, Apr 23, 2008 ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version |
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Tamil Nadu
We are bombarded with images of a “perfect woman” these days. The media and advertisers splash her as somebody who is usually gorgeous and beautiful, tall and willowy weighing at least 20 per cent less than what she ought to for her height. She is somebody who hardly ever looks her age, has a flawless skin and immaculate tresses. She is well-groomed, pedicured and manicured and slips into “size zero” effortlessly. If you look around carefully at all those faces smiling from hoardings or magazine pages, or those sashaying down the ramps, you will find that this much-hyped and beautifully carved and created perfect woman looks pretty much like the next. She is almost interchangeable and disposable in bits and pieces, from her hair to the toe, like a mannequin. With a competitive work environment, the need to appear well-groomed and attractive has assumed greater importance, particularly for women. The fast pace of modern living leaves little time for personal care, taking them to professionals for treatments that improve and maintain their looks. This has resulted in a rapidly increasing demand for beauty products and treatments turning beauty care or cosmetology into a multiple crore industry. Sales of beauty products are simply galloping by leaps and bounds. And it is in the past decade that sales are dubbed to have more than tripled. According to a survey, the cosmetic industry in India is worth over Rs.2,000 crore, with a growth rate of 25%. Of this the herbal segment alone is worth Rs 400 crore, with an estimated growth rate of 40%. In such a fast developing and moving industry, how can Madurai lag behind? “The scope and market has grown tremendously here and it is time we peel off the ‘conservative’ tag from the city,” shares a local beautician.If you have the knack and temperament, opportunities galore in beauty business. But given the demands of modern times, training helps in achieving the professional edge for all those desiring to step into the business. A diploma in beauty or hair care is considered to be most important and advantageous.As this is a specialised skill, it requires professional expertise and practical training. There are several training schools for basic beauty and hair care courses, for which Class X qualification is sufficient. However, a degree in Pharmacy, Ayurveda and Botany with basic knowledge of cosmetology is preferred for specialisation. The syllabus usually includes theoretical inputs on anatomy, physiology, dietary, and practicals like facials, types of massages, make-up and hair-cutting. It is best to take both beauty care and hair dressing training, as it widens job opportunities. The changing face of the industry has also thrown up sub-specialities within. So there is the choice of becoming a hair color or perm specialist, cosmetology instructor, image consultant, product distributor, photo or movie stylist. These job profiles provide an exciting choice as each client comes in as a new challenge to work on. Besides, the demand is so high that work also takes the professionals out of the closets of a parlour these days. Opportunities to travel have increased with customers willing to spend on their trusted beautician and taking them to other cities if there is any major family occasion like wedding or any other anniversary celebration. Says a staffer at Rachna’s beauty Studio, “we have several of our customers settled in Chennai, nearby districts and even neighbouring States, who call us either for bridal make-up or any other big function.” There are several big and prominent institutions that offer training in beauty and hair care including Shahnaz Hussain’s Women’s World International, Habib’s Hair Academy, Blossom Kochhar’s Pivot Point, Schnell Hans Beauty School besides several Government and privately owned Polytechnics. If you are interested in the beauty business, it is essential to have a good sense of aesthetics and creativity, and a liking for people of all ages and class. It is important to be friendly with a sense of hygiene and cleanliness and a neat appearance. You yourself should be in good health with the stamina and ability to stay on your feet for long hours. Only then a customer will feel attracted and have the confidence of returning to you. Soma Basu
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