Beauty as Protest, Art as Recovery: A Summer at House of Futures

Beauty as Protest, Art as Recovery: A Summer at House of Futures

House of Futures — Cosmetology, Art Therapy, and Art Reflections Program

This summer at House of Futures, we didn’t just teach cosmetology—we held space for healing. Every brush stroke, braid, and nail bead became a ritual. For many of our students, especially young women of color, beauty has always been politicized. So we taught it differently: as a form of self-determination, as access, as power.

Our programs wove together technique and therapy—Gel-X sessions alongside breathwork, acrylics beside affirmations. The outcome? Transformation. Not just in the looks created, but in the way our students began to see themselves. One participant said, “I didn’t know I could do this.” But she didn’t mean nails. She meant take up space.

This is the work. This is the future. And we’re just getting started.

xx,
Remi O.