Sephora is a place of true happiness. Like Disney for adults, it’s a haven where you can swatch, smell and play with as many products as you want, for as long as you want. If you’re in the mood to actually spend money (and it’s pretty difficult to avoid temptation at Sephora) there’s always a staff of trained employees there to teach you everything from how to find your foundation shade to how to properly apply that glitter that you’ve been eyeing.
Since 2016, Sephora has ensured that all of their customers feel welcome and happy as soon as they enter that iconic black and white striped storefront. And now with the introduction of Classes for Confidence, Sephora is placing itself in a league of its own, according to HelloGiggles.
Classes for Confidence – Workforce Re-Entry 2018 from Sephora Stands on Vimeo.
Described as a way to help makeup lovers navigate “major life transitions,” this program has already helped more than 8,500 people. Sephora also notes that 83 percent of the participants reported increased confidence after taking one of the 850+ class that have been hosted in the past two years.
Sephora will continue expanding this program, and in June 2018 the company will introduce classes targeted towards trans women and members of the non-binary community. These classes will be taught by Sephora cast members who are also part of this community and will be held across the country. Corrie Conrad, Head of Social Impact and Sustainability at Sephora, told them. about the program: “This is the third curriculum we’ve rolled out, and we couldn’t be more excited. It’s been two years in the making. It’s one of the initial programs we wanted to design, but we wanted to make sure we did it right.”
Conrad added that “[They] held focus groups and worked with employees experiencing their own gender journeys to help determine class content, sensitivity training procedures, and to help figure out which stores would make the most sense. The trans and non-binary community is a beloved part of our community and we want to be allies. That’s the point of all our programming: Whether you’re entering the workforce or questioning your gender, that’s a major life transition. We want to be there for you.”
These classes couldn’t be any more important. Not only is Sephora giving trans and non-binary community members a safe space where they are able to not only be open about their life experiences, they’re also providing them with the skills that they need to present themselves in the way that they want to be seen.
Huffington Post notes that if you’re not able to attend one of the many sessions held at over 150 locations, there are other ways to participate. Some of Sephora’s trans Beauty Advisors will be posting tutorials on their YouTube channels, covering a wide variety of topics that were brought up in focus groups, such as color correction and smoothing the skin.
If you want to show your support for the company, Sephora has a line of products where the profits directly fund the programming. Products that work and support a good cause? Yes, please. Here’s what you can pick up:
Sephora Stands On The Go Multitasker Retractable Brush ($24 at Sephora)
Sephora Stands FEARLESS Rouge Cream Lipstick ($16 at Sephora)
Instead of seeing members of the trans community as token customers, Sephora knows that these people deserve respect and makeup that helps them feel confident, just like everyone else does. At the program’s core, Sephora is doing more than just helping trans people apply makeup—Sephora is helping them explore their own identity in a safe and welcoming environment.