Maya Smith, 46, CEO + co-founder of
@ilovethedoux
@ourkindofwomen How did growing up in the 80s/90s shape your understanding of womanhood, freedom, or responsibility?
@ouidoux When I was growing up, we had beauty shops. We had going down the street and letting Auntie press our hair. There was a lot more in person community when it came to being a Black woman.
I was born in 1979. So, I grew up in the ’80s and ’90s. During that time growing up in the Black beauty salon environment really cultivated my understanding of womanhood. I admired the women who came in and had their hair transformed. I watched the way they walked in and the way they were nurtured and cared for in what has always been Black space. The beauty salons and barbershops in our community have always been places that belonged to us. They’ve been where we nurtured each other, communicated love, and affirmed each other’s importance and value.
That’s really how I ended up doing what I do now, creating spaces for Black women to feel comfortable, relaxed, valued, and beautiful.
Growing up in the ’80s and ’90s and having that salon environment impressed so much upon me when it comes to who I’ve become as a stylist, as a professional, and as an educator.
I would say my understanding of womanhood was modeled for me in those spaces. And freedom, too. I learned to encourage people to choose how they wanted to wear their hair..whether that was a relaxer, braids, or a blowout. Watching women choose how they wanted to show up in the world really modeled what I ultimately encourage other women to do: choose for themselves.
As far as responsibility, I grew up in spaces where we understood how necessary it was to care for one another. Someone else’s experience in my salon, in my space, has always felt like my responsibility. I’ve always believed it was my role to intentionally create that space for her.
Growing up in the ’90s, when there was a stronger sense of community, taught me to care for the woman next to me and reflect back reflect her importance and her beauty.
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@bessieakuba 💄
@beewadebeauty
@ourkindofwomen pop-up exhibit presented by
@ilovethedoux International Women’s Day March 8, 2026
