Gender-affirming salon in Ames helps customers embrace their identity

CUSTOMERS EMBRACE THEIR IDENTITY. WE CALLING A NEW HAIRSTYLE LIFE CHANGING IS IS AN UNDERSTATEMENT FOR SOME PEOPLE. THE DAY THAT I GOT MY HAIR CUT TO THIS LENGTH, I WENT HOME AND WAS LIKE SOBBING BECAUSE I LIKE FINALLY FELT LIKE WHO I WAS AS A PERSON. BECAUSE FOR AVERY BANGOR YEARS AGO, THAT HAIRCUT IS THE MOMENT THEY FINALLY FELT LIKE THEMSELVES. WHEN YOU’RE QUEER AND YOUR APPEARANCE IS CONSTANTLY LIKE DISSECTED AND ATTACKED AND USED TO DEFINE WHO YOU ARE OR TRY TO DEFINE WHO YOU ARE, WHEN YOU GET TO DO SOMETHING AND MAKE A DECISION TO DEFINE HOW YOU LOOK AND HOW THAT MAKES YOU FEEL, IT’S A HUGE DEAL, A HUGE DEAL, STAKER SAYS. BECAUSE PEOPLE IN THE QUEER COMMUNITY DON’T ALWAYS FEEL WELCOME AT EVERY SALON. IF I WERE TO WALK INTO A SALON OR A BARBER AND THEY WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, YOU SHOULD GET THIS MASCULINE HAIRCUT. YOU SHOULD GET THIS FEMININE HAIRCUT OR USE THAT KIND OF LANGUAGE. THEY DON’T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT QUEERNESS IS. BUT NEWLY OPENED IN DOWNTOWN AMES IS A SALON, A STYLIST IS READY TO PROVIDE THAT UNDERSTAND ENDING. I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A HAIRDRESSER, TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL LIKE BEAUTIFUL AND GOOD ABOUT THEMSELVES, AND I DON’T SEE ANY BETTER WAY OF DOING THAT THAN HELPING THE QUEER COMMUNITY. THIS IS IDENTITY SALON AND ROSLYN REDMOND IS THE OWNER AND STYLIST OF THE GENDER AFFIRMING SALON. GENDER AFFIRMING CAN BE ANYTHING FROM WHATEVER FITS WHAT YOU WANT TO TO LOOK LIKE AND HOW YOU WANT TO BE PERCEIVED. IDENTITY. SALON IS SOMETHING ROSLYN’S BEEN WORKING ON FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. 80% OF MY CLIENTELE IS IN THE QUEER COMMUNITY BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS AND FEELING MORE PASSIONATE THAN EVER TO OPEN, ROSLYN SAYS. ESPECIALLY FOLLOWING THIS YEAR’S LEGISLATIVE SESSION. HONESTLY, IT PUSHED ME EVEN HARDER TO OPEN A LOT OF THIS STUFF HAS JUST MADE ME ABSOLUTELY DEVASTATED, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO OUR KIDS IN IOWA, BECAUSE THEY CAN’T SPEAK UP, WHICH HAS ROSLYN AND HER FRIENDS WORKING TO MAKE SURE CLIVE CASS FEEL COMFORTABLE. OFTENTIMES AS PEOPLE, WHEN WE LEARN ABOUT SOMETHING NEW AND AS ADULTS, WE FIND IT SCARY. WE WANT TO SHUT IT OUT. WE DON’T LIKE THINGS THAT WE DON’T KNOW. BUT MIRANDA KEITH ROSLYN’S CHILDHOOD FRIEND, SAYS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO HATE TOWARDS THE LGBTQ PLUS COMMUNITY. MY CHALLENGE TO PEOPLE IS IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT YOU ARE REALLY UPSET ABOUT, ASK YOURSELF WHY. IF YOU ARE SCARED OF SOMETHING, ASK YOURSELF WHY. NO MATTER HOW SOMEONE IDENTIFIES OR THEIR SENSORY NEEDS, I MEAN BLOCKLY BANCROFT WANT TO HEAR THAT MUCH? NO. OR THEIR TYPE OF HAIR. ROSSEN’S CLIENTS AND FRIENDS SAY SHE IS ALWAYS READY AND WILLING TO ADAPT. WITH ROZ, IT WAS LIKE NO, BUT I’M WILLING TO LEARN. AND THAT’S WHERE YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE STEP IS BEING WILLING TO LEARN. IDENTITY SALON IS MORE THAN A WAY TO MAKE AN INCOME TO ROSLYN. IT’S A WAY OF SHOWING LOVE, TRUST AND CARE FOR COMMUNITY AND AMES SHE LOVES SO MUCH. I CAN ADVOCATE AND WORK EVERY SINGLE DAY IN CREATING A SPACE WHERE MY CLIENTS FEEL COMFORTABLE AND SAFE IN AMES KAYL

A stylist at a new salon in Ames plans to make a difference for anyone no matter how they identify.On June 28, Identity Salon had its grand opening, joining the other shops in the downtown Ames area. "I always wanted to be a hairdresser to make people feel beautiful and good about themselves and I don't see any better way of doing that than helping the queer community," salon owner Roslyn Redman said.Redman has been a stylist for years. However, owning a business is new to her. She has been working on opening her salon for over a year.Redman said Identity Salon is Ames’s first gender-affirming salon. "'Gender affirming' can be anything from whatever fits what you want to look like and how you want to be perceived," Redman said. Redman said it's really important for people to feel comfortable with how they look, whether it's in public or in private. It's part of why she wanted to open up her salon to give people — no matter how they identify — the power to feel like themselves.It’s something that's important to many of her clients. "When you're queer and your appearance is constantly like dissected and attacked and used to define who you are or try to define who you are, when you get to do something and make a decision to define how you look and how that makes you feel it's a huge deal," Redman's friend and salon client Avery Staker said.While Wednesday was the salon's grand opening, Redman's time in the industry has helped her develop a strong clientele list. She says 80% of her clients are in the queer community. Redman said she has been building relationships and feeling more passionate than ever about opening her salon following this year's legislative session. "It pushed me even harder to open," Redman said. "A lot of this stuff has just made me absolutely devastated, especially when it comes to our kinds in Iowa because they can’t speak up."Redman and her close friends said that making sure clients feel comfortable is important to the salon's mission. "Oftentimes as people — when we learn about something new — as adults, we find it scary. We want to shut it out. We don't like things that we don’t know," the salon's marketing and outreach director and Redman's childhood friend Miranda Keith said. "My challenge to people is if there's something that you are really upset about, ask yourself why. If you are scared of something, ask yourself why."You can find more information about Identity Salon on their website.

AMES, Iowa —

A stylist at a new salon in Ames plans to make a difference for anyone no matter how they identify.

On June 28, Identity Salon had its grand opening, joining the other shops in the downtown Ames area.

"I always wanted to be a hairdresser to make people feel beautiful and good about themselves and I don't see any better way of doing that than helping the queer community," salon owner Roslyn Redman said.

Redman has been a stylist for years. However, owning a business is new to her. She has been working on opening her salon for over a year.

Redman said Identity Salon is Ames’s first gender-affirming salon.

"'Gender affirming' can be anything from whatever fits what you want to look like and how you want to be perceived," Redman said.

Redman said it's really important for people to feel comfortable with how they look, whether it's in public or in private. It's part of why she wanted to open up her salon to give people — no matter how they identify — the power to feel like themselves.

It’s something that's important to many of her clients.

"When you're queer and your appearance is constantly like dissected and attacked and used to define who you are or try to define who you are, when you get to do something and make a decision to define how you look and how that makes you feel it's a huge deal," Redman's friend and salon client Avery Staker said.

While Wednesday was the salon's grand opening, Redman's time in the industry has helped her develop a strong clientele list. She says 80% of her clients are in the queer community.

Redman said she has been building relationships and feeling more passionate than ever about opening her salon following this year's legislative session.

"It pushed me even harder to open," Redman said. "A lot of this stuff has just made me absolutely devastated, especially when it comes to our kinds in Iowa because they can’t speak up."

Redman and her close friends said that making sure clients feel comfortable is important to the salon's mission.

"Oftentimes as people — when we learn about something new — as adults, we find it scary. We want to shut it out. We don't like things that we don’t know," the salon's marketing and outreach director and Redman's childhood friend Miranda Keith said. "My challenge to people is if there's something that you are really upset about, ask yourself why. If you are scared of something, ask yourself why."

You can find more information about Identity Salon on their website.

Gender-affirming salon in Ames helps customers embrace their identity

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