In early 2020, amidst the chaos unfolding, something exciting happened: Eden signed up to be part of the Dresscode Project. This tied in perfectly with our decision in late 2019 to move to gender neutral pricing. We thought we’d elaborate a bit more on what the Dresscode Project is and why we’re working towards being gender neutral in our salon.
The Dresscode Project is a global alliance, working to create gender-affirming salons and barber shops for members of LGBTQ2S+ communities.
The goal is that all people have the opportunity to access services and express themselves without the constraints of conforming to traditional gender norms or for fear of judgement, discrimination, or harassment.
The Dresscode Project is not only a way for the LGBTQ2S+ community to identify safe and inclusive services but they also provide support to salons like us, and the general public, with information on how to be a proactive part of an evolving world.
Many LGBTQ2S+ people are often misgendered, bullied, harassed, and mistreated when accessing services which is why we at Eden decided to look at our practices and language, and actively work towards making a more inclusive environment for everyone.
At Eden we value equality, that is why we wanted to move to a pricing system which is determined by time, the skills of your stylist and product usage. We have removed all reference to gender. For example, we allocate the same amount of time for all children’s cuts, so they are no longer referred to by the gender of the child – ‘boy’ or ‘girl’ – but simply determined by their age and the time we spend with them. This is outlined in more detail on our website.
Language
In a world where ‘he’ and ‘she’ are still the most commonly used pronouns, we believe it is important to understand the terms and descriptions used by the LGBTQ2S+ communities in order to better serve our clients. The Dresscode Project has provided us with the following information:
L: Lesbian – A woman whose physical, romantic, and/or emotional attraction is to other women or a specific woman and/or identifies as a lesbian.
G: Gay – A man whose physical, romantic and/or emotional attraction is to other men or a specific woman and/or identifies as gay.
B: Bisexual – A person whose physical, romantic and/or emotional attractions are to those of the same gender and to those of another gender.
T: Trans/ Transgender – This is an umbrella term for people whose gender expression differs from what is typically associated with the sex they were assigned at birth. People under the transgender umbrella may describe themselves using one or more of a variety of terms including – trans, transgender, transsexual, genderqueer, gender non-binary, and more.
Q: Queer – An umbrella term for sexual and gender minorities. Originally meaning “strange” or “peculiar”, queer came to be used pejoratively against those with same-sex desires or relationships in the late 19th Century.
Beginning in the late 1980s, queer activists began to reclaim the word and today it is used by LGBTQ2S+ persons to describe themselves as a community or as an individual.
2S: Two-Spirit – A cultural and spiritual identity used by some indigenous people who have both masculine and feminine spirits.
+: Plus encompasses everyone who are a part of a sexual or gender minority, whatever their story, as long as someone is not heterosexual or cis-gendered. These can include Pansexual, Intersex, Asexual or Demisexual. Some people don’t identify with any of these labels or like labels at all. Others may be questioning their gender identity and/or sexuality. Still others may be transitioning from one identity to another.
Pronouns
He/she, him/her, his/hers are all gendered pronouns and can be replaced with they, them, their or theirs. Alternatively, some people may ask you to use terms such as ze (zee), sie (see), zie (zee), hir (hear) or hirs (hears). Using gender neutral pronouns removes the potential for feelings of judgement, discrimination, or harassment.
Gender expression
(How a person publicly expresses or presents their gender.)
Cis/Cisgender: A person whose gender identity is in alignment with their sex assigned at birth.
Sex assigned at birth: The assignment and classification of people as male, female or intersex usually assigned at birth based on physical anatomy.
We also love this great informative video by Courtney Act:
How we’re participating
Gender Neutral Services and Pricing
Our prices are solely based on the length of your hair and the work conducted by our stylists. Our full price list can be found here.
Ask. Respect. Practice.
We’re doing our best to use gender neutral pronouns so as not to assume someone’s gender, in-turn creating a safer and more inclusive environment for all. If we use the incorrect pronouns for you, please know that our salon is a safe space and we welcome you to let us know which you prefer us to use as we’re constantly learning and evolving.
No Judgement
We are a diverse team and welcome everyone to our space. Hair has no gender and we will work with you, whatever your hair goals.
Simply put, the Dresscode Project is about unity, acceptance, equity, safer spaces and teaching our industry that diversity is the future.
Information gathered from resources provided by: www.dresscodeproject.com & www.the519.org
