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Why We Still Can’t Find a Stylist Who Gets Our Hair with Jade Buffong-Phillips


textured-hair-in-theater

What if your biggest barrier to belonging in a theater space was the hair that grows naturally out of your head?



This episode of Inclusive Stages features a ground-level, eye-opening conversation with entrepreneur and beauty equity advocate Jade Buffong-Phillips, founder of Mane Hook-Up, a platform connecting performers with stylists specializing in textured hair. Together, we explore why textured hair in theater is more than a beauty concern. It’s a matter of equity, access, and true inclusion.


Jade shares the personal experiences and industry gaps that inspired her to create Mane Hook-Up, from the hidden labor of finding skilled stylists to the emotional toll of feeling unseen backstage. With honesty and clarity, she highlights how neglecting care for textured hair perpetuates harm, exclusion, and missed opportunities for both artists and productions.


Through stories, practical advice, and sharp insights, we explore why genuine inclusion is evident in the details, and how something as simple as hair care can reveal the systems we navigate every day.


Here’s what we cover:

  • The personal hair journeys that inspired the creation of Mane Hook-Up

  • Why access to skilled textured-hair care is an equity issue in theater and performance

  • The emotional and financial toll of navigating predominantly white spaces as a Black performer

  • How beauty school gaps and union rules perpetuate exclusion for stylists and artists

  • Concrete strategies for theater leaders to budget for, support, and prioritize inclusive hair care

  • The connection between early access, belonging, and generational impact for Black creatives

  • Jade’s community work, including free hair days for children in foster care


This episode is honest, affirming, and packed with actionable insights. If you’re a performer, stylist, producer, or educator who cares about inclusion in the arts, this conversation will expand the way you think about care, access, and the creative spaces we share.


I hope it inspires you to look closer at the details that truly make a stage inclusive, and to take action where it counts.


Thanks for listening. And remember, inclusion lives in the details down to the last strand.


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More About Jade Buffong-Phillips

Jade is the Founder and CMO of Mane Hook-Up, a London-based beauty booking platform that helps women find and book appointments with Afro hair stylists in their local area. Their ambition is to diversify the afro and curly hair industry by making afro and curly hair stylists more visible. With a decade of experience as a purpose-driven marketing specialist, Jade focuses on building products and businesses from the ground up and creating solutions for underserved communities. Jade is also the co-founder of a charitable initiative called Crowned with Care, which helps vulnerable children with afro & curly hair get access to free hair care.



Links & Mentioned Resources


Connect with Jade


Connect with Kira


Thanks for joining me on this episode of Inclusive Stages! If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a review on Apple or Spotify to help me reach even more theater makers, theater artists, and theater lovers who want to make our industry a better place for everyone.


Thanks to our music composer, Zachary McConnell, and our producer, Leah Bryant.


More about the Inclusive STAGES Podcast


Inclusive STAGES™ Building Healthy Arts Spaces is the podcast for theater makers, creatives, and arts leaders who believe we can build a better industry—one brave, emotionally intelligent, and trauma-informed space at a time. Hosted by Kira Troilo, founder of Art & Soul Consulting, each episode explores what it really takes to create inclusive, healthy creative environments in today’s rapidly changing performing arts landscape.


Whether you're a theater artist, an arts administrator, an educator, a creative leader, or a producer, this show will help you answer big questions like:


What is inclusive leadership in the arts, and how do I practice it?


How can performing arts organizations promote diversity and inclusion?


What does “representation matters” mean in theater and beyond?


How can venues make performances more accessible?


What tools do I need to lead with care—and still make bold, brilliant work?


Through honest conversations, industry insights, and practical tools, Inclusive STAGES™ empowers you to reduce burnout, dismantle harmful norms, and build the kinds of creative spaces where everyone can thrive.


New episodes every week. Follow now and join the movement toward healthier, more sustainable arts spaces. 

 
 
 

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