Hive Hair Studio offers gender-affirming cuts

It’s no secret that people’s identities are often tied to their fashion choices, including their hairstyle. From color and texture, to length and styling, it’s, hypothetically, an easily attained visible mode of self-expression. But for some, going to a salon and asking for a specific cut can create an uneasy, unsafe experience. 
That’s especially true for transgender and non-binary folks. Going to an archetypal salon or shop that uses masculine or feminine descriptors of haircuts or styles creates unnecessary tension and does not feel welcoming. 
Hive Hair Studio hopes to remove some of that concern in the LGBTQ+ community by helping Lansing-area people match how they feel on the inside with how they look on the outside. It’s about helping them see their true reflection in the mirror after they leave the salon. 
With that in mind, on Sunday (June 12) from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the studio is giving away 20 gender-affirming haircuts to new clients, free-of-charge at its Gender Free Haircut Club Day. These are available by appointment only. The event is in partnership with The Dress Code Project, a global initiative that envisions “a world where every hair salon and barbershop is a gender affirming, safer-space for LGBTQ2S+ clients.” 
Lexan Cranfill, a stylist and co-owner of Hive Hair Studio, said that international mission aligns seamlessly with their locally owned studio’s inclusive ethos.  
At its genesis in December 2020, amid the pandemic, Hive Hair Studio launched in response to COVID-19. The owners wanted to provide a COVID-safe atmosphere. But that mission of inclusiveness rapidly expanded.  
“That kind of branched into wanting to create a safer space for everybody, no matter what their lifestyle is or how they identify,” Cranfill said. “It really became clear to us that we needed to branch out more to the LGBTQ community and really make this a safe space for them because there’s a lack of that in this area with hair salons and within our industry.”  
Cranfill said the uneasiness felt by the LGBTQ community at salons can vary, including being refused service. She attributes this to the aging idea that only men go to barber shops and only women go to salons. Even in booking services, there’s a big difference between haircut styles, based on genders and even a difference in pricing. Hive Hair’s price points are: short, medium and long — not male and female. 

“There’s definitely some stigma where clients might want a haircut that isn’t traditional and stylists will tell them no,” she said, adding that a stylist “won’t do a certain thing for them because it’s not traditional, or they’ll talk them out of it because it’s ‘not a good idea.’ 

“Our belief really is more of helping people realize their own visions they have of themselves, and feeling comfortable enough to ask us what they want,” she added. “We will do what they want, regardless of their gender or anything like that.” 
Historically, there’s a stark contrast between the types of guests at hair salons versus barber shops, but Hive Hair Studio is one of many in the cosmetology industry that’s bucking this outmoded model.  

“It’s just been in the history of our career, in this business, that you book a women’s haircut or a men’s haircut,” Cranfill said. “There’s been a big movement in our industry, within the last two years, especially in bigger cities, to take gender out of the occasion. Charge based on our time and really make people feel more comfortable.” 
“We would hope our industry can catch up, become a little more progressive, open-minded and realize that true equality is the way of the future,” she added.  

Hive Hair Studio is also owned by stylists Jamie Ferris and Katie Pickett.  

“We have a salon, but we are all three our own independent businesses within these walls,” Cranfill said. “The Hive is a cohesive brand and we stand for something, but we all have our own individual businesses and personalities within this. I think that’s why our clients really enjoy it, because we are three really different people, but we stand behind one mission.” 

As for the upcoming free haircut event, Cranfill said their team hopes to attract people who have been too apprehensive to ask for what they actually want.  

“There’s going to be three stylists and one barber,” Cranfill says. “People who have been too afraid or felt too uncomfortable to go into a salon and ask for what they want, this is their time when they can come to a judgment-free zone and get a haircut they need to be able to feel like their true selves. 
“We are not making any profit, this is just us purely wanting to truly help some people,” Cranfill added. “Aside from the Dress Code Project, we also registered with an organization called Strands for Trans. Basically, that’s just a map resource where trans people can find a list of salons or studios in their area that are friendly allies.” 

Since being connected to The Dress Code Project, Cranfill said she’s had a few clients book services after customers found the studio on the website. “I had the pleasure of giving someone their very first haircut who’s in transition right now,” she said. “The amount of gratitude they have and how life-changing it’s been for them — it’s really magical to be a part of that for somebody.” 

Meanwhile, Cranfill’s fellow co-owner, Ferris, said while she is thrilled her studio is active in this growing crusade, she hopes all local salons can come together and further grow the mission.  
“There are other salons in this town that do offer gender-neutral pricing and services,” Ferris said. “The one thing I would love to see is all of us getting the movement going and being able to get the word out to our community that we are here and we are here for you to have a gender-neutral, safe space between all of us.”