Have you ever started your day with no clue on how to style your hair? How about for an interview? Or for the first day of an internship? The question of “how” has haunted all our minds once in a while.
As a part of Women in Business at Ohio State, the Women’s Month Committee partnered with Her Campus at Ohio State for their “Dress for Success” event. As a part of a collaboration with Stile Salon and Spa, Women in Business members were able to learn more about simple everyday hairstyles through various demonstrations and professional clothing in the workplace. After the DEI committee’s short presentation on global professional business attire, hair stylists Meg Reynolds and Ella Parker taught students hairstyles such as bubble braids, a half-up, half-down look and styling curly hair.
Hailey Bridges, Vice President of Special Events and lead of the Women’s Month Committee, said “The goal for this event was to fill the gap in professional dress among college students, especially young women.”
While Phyllis Kreiter, a member of the Women’s Month committee, said she echoed this sentiment.
“[The event] was meant to create a safe place for girls to feel like they could learn, ask questions and not be judged,” Kreiter said.
Other committee members Sydney Ciota, Courtney Lyninger and Eliza Abbott said the primary goal of the Dress for Success event was to encourage a “greater sense of confidence.”
Following the impactful demonstrations from both hair stylists at Stile Salon and Spa, makeup artist Katie Hart recreated a natural and professional makeup look many members could use in their corporate careers.
Joelle Edwards, another member of the Women’s Month Committee said “I am not very knowledgeable about doing my makeup, so I enjoyed watching the demonstration. I liked the conversation about color theory and how to color correct.”
Overall, both tutorials provided educational resources for women seeking to enter their professional careers beyond the conversation of “business casual versus business professional” and initiated crucial conversations surrounding hair, makeup and accessories.
The conclusion of the event allowed members to visit unique booths that showcased a variety of meaningful information and sample products. A few of the booths included Good Molecules skincare, Not Your Mother’s hair products, discounts attached to stores with professional attire and an affirmation table in collaboration with Her Campus utilizing Viktor and Rolf perfume samples.
Furthermore, the DEI committee’s booth provided an interactive tutorial on the hijab, focusing on its cultural and religious significance while demonstrating various ways to wear it, and the opportunity to get a henna design.
While the “Dress for Success” event played a significant role, it began as a smaller idea pitched by committee member Eliza Abbott and faced many challenges in its evolution.
“Although a great success, the event had its adversity,” Abbott said. “Our committee struggled with finding [necessary] vendors willing to support our cause.”
Similarly, Ciota, Lyninger and Bridges said this event was the most difficult to navigate as logistics and event coordination became an issue.
“We wanted something interactive to be at each station to encourage members to really take their time and get the most out of each section” Lyninger said. “However, with this came finding interactive ideas that would take approximately the same time so as not to crowd specific stations that we expected to get more attention.”
Ciota said how logistically the event would’ve felt rushed because they also wanted everyone to feel represented, with so many different types of hair textures, skin colors and comfort levels existing.
Despite these challenges, the Women’s Month Committee successfully fostered an inclusive environment, empowering members to take charge of their confidence in the corporate realm, which can often feel restrictive.
With the support of Stile Salon and Spa, Women in Business was able to cultivate a welcoming atmosphere where members could seek valuable and transformative advice they can carry with them long-term.
the Women’s Month Committee of Women in Business
Hailey Bridges
Hailey is a third-year in economics and is currently serving as the vice president of special events on the Women in Business e-board. Additionally, she had the honor of running this year’s Women’s Month committee.
Phyllis Kreiter
Phyllis is a first-year in marketing and sport industry.
Courtney Lyninger
Courtney is a second-year in information systems with a minor in sociology. In Women in Business, Courtney serves as the logistics and operations manager on the Women’s Month committee.
Joelle Edwards
Joelle is a second-year in accounting.
Sydney Ciota
Sydney is a second-year in international business from upstate New York. She has been in Women in Business since her first semester freshman year, where she previously served on the gala committee to plan the annual charity gala. Sydney currently serves as the events manager on the Women’s Month Committee.
Eliza Abbott
Eliza is a first-year in finance from Cleveland, Ohio. Currently, she serves as the communications director on the Women’s Month Committee.