Style
Studies
Salons Abound with Beauty
School Graduates
by Kuch Naren and Christopher St John
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| Students, like these at the Cambodia Beauty School, are flocking to a growing number of establishments that offer training in cosmetics and styling. Photo: Christopher St John/The Cambodia Daily |
The three floors above the salon were teeming with wo-men—and a few men—learning the essentials of the beauty trade.
In one crowded room walled entirely with mirrors, students applied dramatic sweeps of color to each other’s faces.
Upstairs, beginning students crimped, curled and blow-dried hair on dummy heads as they learned the basics of hair styling. Their more experienced classmates worked on the real thing on the top floor, building complex hairstyles with pins and spray.
Phnom Penh has seen a rise in beauty schools in recent years, and subsequently, an increasing number of local beauty shops and salons have opened.
Many of the city’s streets now play host to three or four establishments catering to anyone in need of hair extensions or a pedicure.
And the trend shows no signs of slowing down, beauty school owners said.
| “They watch Thai TV and see pretty things. Women today are just more fashionable.” |
—Sapor Rendall, owner of Sapors Salon and Beauty School |
“I’m
expanding right now,” said Sapor Rendall, who runs Sapors, a salon
and beauty school where students can also learn how to cook. “When
I first started, it was only me. But you know how it is, one place opens
and then lots more follow.”
Rendall, who opened her school in late 1996, studied in Australia before
bringing her expertise to Cambodia. She attributes the interest in cosmetics,
hairdressing and hand care to increasing exposure to international trends
in post-war Cam-bodia, as television and other media encourage people
to reassess their self-image.
“More people are interested in the schools because beauty’s
more popular. Women, they all want to look pretty these days,” she
said. “They watch Thai TV and see pretty things. Women today are
just more fashionable.”
Rendall estimated that around 40 percent of her students aren’t
in it for the money, but just want to know how to apply make-up properly.
“They think it’s useful for their future,” she said.
 |
Christopher
St John/The Cambodia Daily Leu Heang, co-founder of the Cambodia Beauty School, looks on as one of his advanced students hones her hairdressing skills |
Unlike many university de-grees, beauty training takes only a matter of months and the market is one that encourages female participation.
Leu Heang, co-founder of the Cambodia Beauty School, said that many of his students go on to establish their own shops.“The majority of small boutiques in Phnom Penh belong to women trained at our school,” he said.
Leu Heang and his sister founded the school three years ago, after training in Thailand.
Aside from experience and instruction, students who successfully finish a six-month course at the Cambodia Beauty School receive a certificate of completion issued by the Ministry of Education, an important distinction in a growing field.
Some schools, though, have set their sights higher.
After a group of French experts visited Phnom Penh in 2000, they advised Pour un Sourire d’Enfant (PSE), an NGO that works with children living on the streets and around the garbage dump in Stung Meanchey commune, to establish a beauty school as a way of providing students with practical skills. PSE, which offers vocational training in several fields, makes a point of trying to place its beauty students in well-paying, established salons.
| “Jobs are easy to find. But they are low pay.” |
| —Chan Porn, Pour Un Sourire D'Enfant |
He agrees that there is currently a lot of work to be found for people with formal beauty training, just not at the level PSE hopes for.“Jobs are easy to find,” he said. “But they are low pay, as staff at small shops.”
Rendall, of Sapors, suggests that it is just this level of employment that many of her students are looking for. At a time when women are more frequently expected to join the work force, she said, a boutique presents an ideal opportunity for part-time work, or merely to interact with the community.
Lot Thany, 21, a student at the Cambodia Beauty School, took a break from styling her classmate’s hair to explain why she was there. “It’s easy,” she said simply. “It’s not labor intensive and I have fun.”