Tabatha Coffey may not have made it to the end of the first season of Bravo’s Shear Genius – the out hairdresser and salon owner was cut at the end of Episode 6 – but the fan favorite made it in a different way. Soon after the season ended, Bravo approached her about doing her own reality series, Tabatha’s Salon Takeover.
The first season of the eight-episode series follows the straight-talking and brutally honest Coffey as she visits struggling salons in the New York and Los Angeles areas to make them over. Each episode takes place over a period of one week.
“A lot people feel like if you put a little bit of paint on the wall, the problem’s going to go away,” Coffey explained during a press conference in July. “Or if you change your outfit, the clients will come. That’s not the case in business. You need to manage your business. You need to lead by example. You need to have great work. You need to have fantastic customer service. You need to have an experience.”
Coffey’s directness is part of what made her so memorable on Shear Genius, but it’s also what makes some people uncomfortable – hence, the drama of her new show.
The Australian native took her first salon job at age 14, and went on to train in London for eight years. She has been working in the United States for 19 years and owns her own salon, Industrie Hair Gurus, in New Jersey, where she lives with her partner of 10 years. “When I’m home I’m part of it; every day I go to work,” she said in an interview with AfterEllen.com.
Last month I sat down with Coffey in Los Angeles to talk about her new series, the challenges of being known as an assertive businesswoman, “lesbian hair,” and her dominatrix vibe.
AfterEllen.com: Did you ever think you’d be doing a series like this? Tabatha Coffey: Absolutely not. I never did imagine it, could have imagined it, would have imagined it. It’s brilliant. It has been really brilliant. I’m having a great time doing it.
AE: Your persona in Shear Genius is quite demanding and direct. How much of that translates into your everyday life? Are you like that in everyday life or is that just a job thing? TC: It is me, you know, I’m not acting any way whatsoever. I am direct. I’m honest. I think I’m assertive, and it comes out when it needs to come out. Yes, it does come out at work a lot because I need to take charge of a situation, and it comes out personally when it needs to come out as well.
AE: Has that ever created any problems in your personal life? TC: Look, when I’m honest, some people find they’re uncomfortable with it … [but] if you ask me for my honest opinion, I’m gonna give you my honest opinion. And it’s not to hurt people, it’s not to be rude, but I prefer to be honest with people and tell you what I really think, especially if you’re asking me that. But my friends know me. My friends, my family, they all know me, it’s who I am, so: no.
AE: Do you get this question a lot? Do you think it’s because you’re a woman in business as opposed to a man in business? TC: Yeah, absolutely. I think unfortunately still there is a big difference between a woman and a man in business – or if they’re strong. It’s a shame, but I still think people are very quick to label a woman a bitch if she’s a strong, kind of forthright, honest woman. And I have a definition of what I think bitch stands for.
AE: What is that? TC: It’s brave, intelligent, tenacious, courageous and honest. And if take those traits, I’m definitely a bitch, because I am all of those things. But I think you need to be to survive in business, and to be a woman in business you need to have those qualities, and people sometimes misinterpret it for meanness. It’s just taking care of yourself and doing what you need to do.
AE: I’ve met a lot of women in successful businesses and they often have those personalities, and I do think the perception that they’re mean is because of sexism. TC: Yeah, absolutely. I think there’s definitely a stigma. … Sometimes if a guy does a certain thing, everyone’s like, “Ooh!” You know, “Great for him, he’s a go-getter.” And a woman does it and they’re like, “Ugh, she’s mean,” or she’s this or she’s that, and it’s unfortunate but it does still exist.
At the end of the day I need to make sure I take care of myself, and I’m honest with myself and take care of my business. They’re the important things to me.
AE: As a hair stylist, you’re part of the fashion and beauty industry. Do you feel that there’s more of a tendency to be mean in this industry? TC: No, and again I don’t think it’s meanness. I think it’s honesty.
When I’m dealing with a client I want to be honest with you, because I want to make sure that … I can help you to look a certain way. … If something isn’t going to work for you, why would I say, “Oh yes, OK, I’m going to do that haircut,” and know in the back of my mind it’s never going to work on your hair type, it’s not going to suit your face, it’s not going to suit your lifestyle. That’s not fair to you. You’re going to walk out and hate your hair, and then you’re going to think I’m a crap hairdresser.
So you need to be honest with people. In the case of the show, I have to be honest with them because I only have a week to spend with them. So for me to go in and not be really honest up front and get to the bottom of their problems and the crux of it, I’m genuinely not going to help them. And that’s what I want to do, is help them.
AE: Say you have a friend who’s in need of a bit of a style makeover. How would you suggest approaching them and pushing them in that direction? TC: With something like that, it’s a dialogue, and it’s asking them the right questions about how long since they’ve changed their look, or what do you think is working about your hair. There’s a way of doing it, because ultimately you want someone to feel good about themselves. …
I think sometimes people don’t know. Sometimes people want someone else’s advice because they don’t really know what they should be doing, and they really elicit that. So I’d start a dialogue. … “Look, you’ve got beautiful eyes. Your eyes are really beautiful; if you cut your bangs this way or that way, it would really bring your eyes out.” Or: “Your complexion’s really great. If you did this kind of color, it would really make your complexion glow. You’d be able to do this; you’d be able to do that; you’d show off your cheekbones.” And it just kind of follows through from there.
AE: In Shear Genius, your personal life had nothing to do with the show. Does that ever come up in this new series? TC: No, not really. I mean, my personal life is my personal life … and the two [personal and professional] are very separate for me.
AE: Are you in a relationship right now? TC: I am. I’ve been in a relationship for 10 years. So, nice long-term relationship.
AE: How does your partner feel about you being on this show? TC: Really, really, really supportive, which is great. I wouldn’t be able to do it without the support. I have a great support system at home. I know that I’m all taken care of and there’s someone there that cares about me and is rooting me on, wants this to be really successful for me.
AE: Well, now that you can get married in California, would you ever get married? TC: Wow, that’s a big question, isn’t it? Um, I think everyone needs to do what’s right for them. I think the stigma needs to change. … It’s just bizarre in the day and age that we live in [that] that’s still something that’s negated, that we don’t have the rights of a heterosexual couple, and that’s something that I find highly annoying.
But then I think the choice comes down to if it’s right for you, if it’s the right circumstance, and to do it for the right reasons, because marriage shouldn’t be taken lightly whether it’s gay marriage or straight marriage.
AE: On the surface it seems that you have a lot of similarities with the star of another show on Bravo. You and Jackie Warner are both strong women, blondes, and kind of have a dominatrix vibe, I’ve gotta say. TC: [laughs] Really?
AE: I think so. TC: Fantastic! I love a dominatrix vibe.
AE: You love it? TC: I do actually. I don’t mind a dominatrix vibe.
AE: Do you cultivate that? [laughs] TC: No, I don’t cultivate it at all, but you know, I have no problem with it. [laughs]
AE: Have you watched Work Out? TC: Yeah, absolutely, and I’ve met Jackie a few times.
AE: How do you think you guys are similar or different? TC: You know, Jackie’s a strong woman. She’s a small business owner, she needs to take care of her business, and she has to be strong to do that and sometimes say things that people find uncomfortable.
AE: So you have no problem with her directness, obviously. TC: I have no problem with Jackie and her directness. She’s doing what she needs to do to take care of herself.
AE: Now there’s you, there’s Patricia Field, there’s The L Word; do you think the stereotype of the frumpy, unfashionable lesbian is dead? TC: [laughs] Oh God, I hope so! I think it’s great to see more gay women in the media. For a long time it was gay men that ruled the media, and I think it’s great that there are great gay women out there that are role models.
AE: Coming off that question, if you think of the term “lesbian hair,” what does that make you think of? [laughs] TC: Oh God! [laughs] I guess I would have to think of mine, because I look at myself in the mirror every morning and I’m a lesbian, so I guess it’s my hair. [laughs]
Photo credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images
AE: We recently interviewed one of this season’s contestants on Shear Genius, Dee Adames, and she suggested that everyone step away from the faux-hawk and go toward the fullet. I don’t really understand what that is. TC: To me that thing goes into that whole stereotypical thing. I think you need to do what’s comfortable for you. I mean honestly, I’m just me. Yes, I happen to be a lesbian, but I’m me. Being a lesbian’s part of who I am. Dressing how I dress is part of who I am. So I hate those kind of stereotypical things that go along with it.
AE: Do you have any advice on how you should approach your stylist in order to get a good haircut? TC: It’s really communication. Most of the time when people walk out of a salon and hate their hair, it’s because the hairdresser hasn’t asked the right questions. You need to know what you do, what kind of lifestyle do you lead. Are you really active, do you have time to put into blow-drying your hair or flat-ironing it. If a client comes in, especially with a picture or thought in mind, is it realistic?
The hairdresser has to reality check the client, and say, “Listen, you’re looking for something that is sleek and smooth and straight, and you’ve got really thick, curly hair; are you prepared to put the work into it to get it there.”
So it’s really about that communication, and if a hairdresser is not communicating with a client, whether you’ve been there once or a thousand times … and they’re not taking a look at you, then they’re not holding up their end of the bargain, and they’re not really caring for you as a client should be cared for.
AE: So what’s up next for you? Are you back at your salon? Would you do another season? TC: Oh, absolutely, my fingers are crossed. … I absolutely would because I’ve had a blast doing this show, and I would be honored to do another one. …
I’ve got a few things that I’m working on. I’m working on a product line, and I’m thinking of maybe opening another salon … and if I get another season, that would be fantastic as well.
