Apollo Snips

In response to Mr. Schoeneman's Op-Ed recently published by PennLive.com I have submitted my own article. The full text is as follows:

A Much-Needed Reality Check: Why Accountability Won’t "Destroy" the Beauty Industry, It Will Save It
By Apollo Alleman

In his recent opinion piece, Mr. Schoeneman argues that new federal regulations, specifically the Gainful Employment rule, threaten to destroy Pennsylvania’s "beauty school pipeline." However, a closer look at the actual mechanics and hard data of the beauty school industry reveals a vastly different story. The reality is that this federal rule is not an attack on the cosmetology profession; it is a long-overdue reckoning for an educational model that has systematically prioritized corporate profits over the success and financial well-being of its students.
As a graduate of Empire Beauty School - Harrisburg, I know this system intimately. I generally enjoyed my time there, and I genuinely appreciate all the opportunities that have come my way because of my education. I was even featured in a home office blog article, and I still occasionally return to give demonstrations to current classes on advanced platinum card and free-hand blonding techniques. But while my experience was positive, it certainly wasn't perfect, and that imperfection wasn't the fault of the educators or administrative staff at my school. My educators were wonderful and highly qualified. The fault lies within the foundation of the industry itself.
To understand why, one must look at the history of these institutions. Historically, cosmetology schools were not established to teach a tangible trade in the same way as their "male counterpart," barbering. Instead, they were originally founded as a mechanism for product manufacturers to build a captive sales force. Early industry pioneers utilized training programs and schools explicitly to martial sales agents for their cosmetics. Mainstream corporate giants later adopted this exact same strategy; brands like Clairol held nationwide training clinics to teach the profession while simultaneously embedding their proprietary products into the salons.(1)
Disappointingly, that corporate, sales-first DNA remains completely intact today. At Empire, for instance, fulfilling a retail quota is a hard requirement for graduation. I personally witnessed a peer break down in tears after completing all her required hours, finishing every practical service quota, and passing her state board exam—only to be barred from graduating until she sold six more products. Her graduation was only secured when sympathetic classmates stepped up to buy bottles of shampoo from her just so she could leave.
This relentless focus on retail and profit over education is precisely why the defense of current beauty school models falls flat. The article's core premise relies on a glaring factual inaccuracy: that post-secondary beauty school is the only option for obtaining a cosmetology license. This simply isn't true. In Pennsylvania, Career and Technology Centers (CTCs) offer 1,250-hour cosmetology programs to high school students, allowing them to train alongside their standard academics. Additionally, there is a state apprenticeship program, which mandates 2,000 hours of training in a salon.(2)(3) While the apprenticeship model has regulatory hurdles that need fixing, it exists as a viable, alternative pathway. The narrative that for-profit beauty schools are the absolute sole gatekeepers to the industry is a convenient myth used to justify astronomical tuition rates.
And those rates are truly staggering. There is absolutely no reason for the Cost of Attendance (COA) at a beauty school to hover around $32,000. At my own alma mater, Empire Beauty School in Harrisburg, the estimated total annual cost of attendance for an off-campus student is over $37,000, with tuition alone costing $17,000, with an additional ≈$3500 paid directly to the school. Yet, federal College Scorecard data shows the median earnings for graduates of this specific program are a mere $17,329. Nationwide, cosmetology students borrow an average of $7,100 to enter an occupation where they will earn less than janitors and restaurant cooks. This is exactly why a staggering 98% of Title IV cosmetology programs fail the federal Gainful Employment earnings threshold. They charge university-level tuition, without access to university level perks like Student Unions, Programming Boards or even a .edu email address to sign up for student discounts. In return, they're left with a mountain of debt, and an unlikely shot at becoming a “six figure stylist.”(4)(5)(6)(7)
What makes this even more egregious is Mr. Schoeneman’s own statements regarding his student demographic. He openly acknowledges that he is aware the vast majority of his students are young women. Yet, with that knowledge, he remains fundamentally out of touch. He suggests that it is perfectly acceptable for them to fork over $20,000 to him, just to work a "part-time job." It appears that he doesn't even see being a hairstylist as a legitimate career. He also relies on industry lobbying claims that beauty schools boast a 76% graduation rate. But the hard facts tell a different story: independent analyses of federal data show that less than a third of cosmetology students actually graduate on time, and between 15% and 31% of cosmetology schools see absolutely none of their students graduate on time in any given year.(8)
This dismissive, transactional view of students extends to his characterization of the salon industry itself. Schoeneman suggests that salons rely on a "steady supply of graduates," phrasing that makes beauty students sound like cattle being led to the slaughter. As an Empire alumni, his words regarding my peers are deeply troubling. The truth is that most reputable salons do not operate this way; they want long-term employees with low turnover.
The only businesses clamoring for a massive, endless supply of fresh, indebted graduates are corporate chain salons. These are the exact same entities( like Great Clips and Sport Clips) who actively lobby for deregulation in other states. They require an artificially high supply of stylists to feed their "burn out chambers," demanding fast-paced, quantity-over-quality haircuts while paying their staff barely above minimum wage.(9)(10)
Ultimately, if enforcing basic accountability metrics means that 90% of beauty schools would be forced to shut down, that is not a flaw in the federal rule. It is a glaring reflection of a deeply broken beauty school industry. If 90% of programs cannot prove that their graduates earn enough to survive and pay back their federal loans, they shouldn't be operating. Obviously, at least 10% of schools are doing something right, and the rest of the industry should look to them for guidance.
Let me be clear: I do not believe in deregulation. Lowering our standards and stripping away necessary education to churn out undertrained stylists for corporate chains is not the solution. The path forward must involve demanding better education, smaller class sizes, and significantly lower costs that accurately reflect the realities of the profession. Either innovate, begin teaching more than just how to pass the state board, and start caring more about providing a genuine education than lining your pockets off the struggles of hard-working young people, or close your doors. Good riddance.
Works cited
1. Our Story - Clairol Professional, https://www.clairolpro.com/inside-clairol-pro/index
2. COSMETOLOGY AND BARBER LICENSURE THROUGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) PILOT PROGRAM INTRODUCTION Through a combination o - Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,https://www.pa.gov/content/dam/copapwp-pagov/en/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/cosmetology/PILOT-PROGRAM-FOR-CTE-STUDENTS-IN-COSMETOLOGY-AND-BARBER-PROGRAMS-full.pdf
3. PENNSYLVANIA COSMETOLOGY | Pearson VUE,https://www.pearsonvue.com/content/dam/VUE/vue/en/documents/clients/pa-cosmetology-and-barber/203900.pdf
4. Empire Beauty School-Harrisburg - College Tuition Comparison, https://www.collegetuitioncompare.com/career/empire-beauty-school-harrisburg/
5. Empire Beauty School Harrisburg - College Scorecard - Department of Education, https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school?212382-Empire-Beauty-School-Harrisburg
6. New Report Uncovers the Shocking Student Debt Burden Beauty School Students Take On, https://ij.org/press-release/new-report-uncovers-the-shocking-student-debt-burden-beauty-school-students-take-on/
7. Cosmetology Training Needs a Make-Over - The Century Foundation, https://tcf.org/content/report/cosmetology-training-needs-a-make-over/
8. American Beauty Schools Educating a Workforce for Tomorrow - AACS,https://myaacs.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/AACS_Cosmetology_Report_10-2022.pdf
9. A Milestone Event: New Tax Law Supports Salon Owners and Stylists - Great Clips, https://franchise.greatclips.com/leadership-blog-newsroom/a-milestone-event-new-tax-law
10. Licensing deregulation heads to House floor — over business interests objections - Florida Politics, https://floridapolitics.com/archives/292716-licensing-deregulations-heads-to-house-floor-over-business-interests-objections/

I've never considered myself a "perm specialist." But I do consider myself an expert in hair chemistry. At the end of the day, hair is just a few chemical building blocks. I just happen to know how to rearrange those blocks. Whether it's to change the color, shape or texture, the same principals apply. And look how beautiful this braided perm turned out! Have you EVER seen permed hair this shiny??!

Friendly reminder from your favorite outspoken hairstylist:
⛔ CORPORATIONS AREN'T PEOPLE.
✊ Unions aren't a scary entity, they are your fellow coworkers who act as a liaison between you and the corporation to get you more money, benefits, and protection of your rights.
⚠️ When a company shows you anti-union propaganda, that's your biggest sign that it is in fact, time to start a union.

Happy resurrection day from Central Pennsylvania's god of hair color. 🌄

Saying goodbye to "second winter" and hello to a friendly skincare PSA: wear your sunscreen! Every day, rain or shine, even if you're just running errands. ☀️⛅
UV damage is the biggest cause of aging skin, and daily SPF is the real reason no one believes I'm old enough to have a 12-year-old daughter.
Extra Apollo Points to anyone using a reef-safe formula! I've been loving this sunscreen because it hydrates like a moisturizer without leaving me greasy. (Side note: At what age do the random acne breakouts stop? Asking for a friend...)
Disclaimer: Not sponsored, just slightly obsessed. 😅🧴