Why are there so many Vietnamese manicurists in the US?
Posted by Mr. Thoughtful on May 23, 2008
Tippi Hedren is responsible. Well, her and the Vietnamese communist regime who ran so many Vietnamese out of the country after the war.
For those of you who have never seen her in Alfred Hitchcocks’s “The Birds”, Tippi Hedren was one of the most beautiful actresses to ever appear on film.
I had long wondered why so many Vietnamese were in the manicure business. This Los Angeles Times article tells the fascinating story:
These days, it’s hard to meet a manicurist who isn’t Vietnamese. In California, Vietnamese Americans make up an estimated 80% of nail technicians, according to the industry’s trade publication. Nationwide, it’s 43%.
“The Vietnamese have taken over the nail industry,” said Tam Nguyen, who operates the beauty school his refugee parents started.
“They began serving a niche that wasn’t served by Americans. And boom!”
They’ve also transformed a business that once was an indulgence for the pampered and wealthy, and turned it into an affordable American routine.
In the 1970s, manicures cost up to $60. But waves of Vietnamese manicurists, mostly refugees who happily settled for low wages, slashed prices. Now, manicures and pedicures go for as little as $15.
The nail industry has become an easy path to success for Vietnamese Americans, who discovered they needed little training and could get by with limited English. Even before they know how to apply a top coat or scrape off calluses, Vietnamese newcomers have jobs lined up at relatives’ salons. Some arrive with plans to open their own shops.
…
The story of how the Vietnamese fell into the nail industry is one of pure chance — of how 20 women who fled their war-torn country happened to meet a Hollywood starlet with beautiful nails.
The women were former teachers, business owners and government officials who came to America in 1975 after the fall of Saigon and landed in a tent city for Vietnamese refugees near Sacramento called Hope Village.
Actress Tippi Hedren, drawn to the plight of Vietnamese refugees, visited every few days. The Vietnamese knew little of Hollywood, so Hedren showed them Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and pointed out her face on the screen.
Hedren was captivated by the refugees’ stories of their homeland. They were, among other things, fascinated by her nails — long, oval, the color of coral.
“I noticed that these women were very good with their hands,” said Hedren, now 78. “I thought, why couldn’t they learn how to do nails?”
So Hedren flew in her manicurist once a week to teach the women how to trim cuticles, remove calluses and perform nail wraps. She persuaded a nearby beauty school to teach the women and helped them find jobs.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-nails5-2008may05,0,7983979,full.story
Hat tip: http://www.dynamist.com/weblog/index.html
Here’s a pic of Tippi Hedren, but I’ve never seen a photograph that really does her justice. It’s worth watching “The Birds” on TCM just to see her on film.
