Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Lifestyle
Saira Khan

Saira Khan: Out-of-touch blokes have decided beauty salons must stay shut for now

Enough! I’m through with looking like Chewbacca.

I would welcome the sharp rip of a bikini wax strip and I’m desperate for a deep cleanse.

But I’m not as desperate as the beauticians who need to get back to business to pay their bills.

But the out-of-touch blokes in charge have decided otherwise.

And while we can get our hair cut next week, the nation’s legs and eyebrows are still off limits.

Which would only make sense to someone who has no clue how these businesses operate.

My friend Irena is a beauty ­therapist and was all geared up for a July 4 opening.

She had bookings in her diary, and I was in for the works – waxing, manicure, pedicure, tinting and facial.

Safety is her top priority.

Naturally she wants to protect her clients as well as herself, so she’d wear a mask and gloves, everyone would be given their own new nail file and she had a protective screen at her station.

Personal grooming makes lot of women feel good (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

But all the prep was for nothing.

And it’s not just beauty salons – spas and gyms are also a no-go.

My beautician raged to me that those in charge of our country have no understanding of people like her.

This is why I made such a direct appeal on TV this week – pleading with the Prime Minister to allow salons to open.

It’s not just to stop me looking like moustachioed TV private investigator Magnum.

This is about the sanity of self-employed beauticians, who make up half the industry and are not covered by the furlough scheme.

They are clearly way down the pecking order.

How short-sighted that pubs and the footie are back on.

In other words, drink, get lairy and watch the match, but forget about getting back to the gym and feeling good about yourself.

Hairdressers will reopen from July 4 while beauty salons will remain closed until further notice (Getty)

So much for mental health being a concern.

We’re emerging from this “long national hibernation” looking like grumpy, tired bears.

And as much as I’ve wanted to embrace a more laidback attitude to my beauty regime in ­lockdown, the fact is personal grooming does make you feel good.

It’s not for the benefit of men.

As silly as it sounds in a global pandemic, I would feel euphoric getting my nails done.

And with all the extra pressure put on women during lockdown – bearing the brunt of home schooling and the work/childcare juggle – we deserve it.

But it’s the thousands of women whose jobs are in jeopardy who deserve to be thought about most of all.

The sad truth is, it’s this government that needs the biggest makeover of all.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.