oklahoma makeup artists deserve
Beauty,
Not Barriers.
Oklahoma requires makeup artists to get 600 hours of training in school before they are ever allowed to earn a penny – regardless of their existing skillset and talents, alternative educational options, or background.
It’s 2023: it doesn’t make sense to require makeup artists to spend so much time in a traditional school. Plus, schools don’t teach talent and passion. Thousands of talented makeup artists have accumulated millions of followers on social media—and never spent an hour in a formal program.
Cosmetology school is a BIG investment – and beauty professionals have to spend a lot of money before they are ever allowed to work. And often, traditional cosmetology courses teach makeup artists little in the way of relevant skills.
The Oklahoma Legislature is considering a bill that would allow makeup artists to work without the state license that requires 600 hours of traditional schooling.
muas could decide how they want to train and spend their money.
did you know:
13 STATES EXEMPT MUAS FROM COSMETOLOGY LICENSING, INCLUDING NEIGHBORING texas.
This has saved MUAs money and time and allowed them to focus on building their careers based on their talent, passion, and reputation, and not on a state-issued certificate.
help us create opportunities and decrease costs for makeup artists in oklahoma
Please fill out the form below if you have questions or want to support this legislation, and we will reach out with additional information about the bill.
AVERAGE OF
Aspiring beauty professionals spend, on average, $16,000 to attend state-required cosmetology school. And after spending all this money, many still have to get additional training because their school didn’t teach them what they needed to learn.
average of
Students often go into a lot of student loan debt to afford school. But programs rarely graduate students on time, delaying—or even blocking—aspiring beauty professionals’ entry into the workforce, and increasing their debt burden.
IN OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma requires 600 hours of traditional school to become a makeup artist – even though there are so many other options to learn, and many of the skills are self-taught.
It’s not fair that beauty professionals face steeper and more costly licensing requirements than those in many other jobs.
Education
Chefs prepare food that is ingested by customers and aren’t required to get a license or go to school. They take a short, simple sanitation course, and the restaurant is subject to inspections. It’s up to the chef whether they want to go to culinary school.
Time
In Oklahoma, EMTs – who administer life-saving aid – have to get 252 hours of training to get a license to work; that’s less than half of what the state demands of MUAs.
Delays
While aspiring beauty professionals are in school—spending money and not making money—those in other occupations are learning on the job or practicing their crafts while earning a living from day one. That’s not fair.
Beauty, Not Barriers is an initiative of the nonprofit institute for justice, dedicated to uplifting the beauty industry by breaking down barriers that force far too many beauty artists into debt or out of work, or make it too hard to hire.
Beauty professionals deserve flexibility and options, like so many other occupations enjoy—not an outdated approach that demands costly hours of traditional training, regardless of one’s existing talent, skillset, alternative training options, or background.
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The Institute for Justice is a non-profit organization that works alongside beauty professionals and other workers nationwide to change laws that make it hard to earn a living. So often, state laws require way too much to work in an occupation—like expensive training that can teach things that are not necessary.