This topic is a real eye opener to me. When you read the attached article it will suck you in. Not just for the fact that it opens the curtain to an industry that on the outside appears to be quite normal, but to the downright slave like conditions that these workers endure. After reading it I guarantee you never think of "getting your nails done" the same way again. What this exposes is the systemic abuse these workers are dealing with in a desperate attempts at “the american dream”.
When you think of poor working conditions what is one of the first things that comes to mind? Most people will answer a lack of compensation. These workers are paid below minimum wage because they are considered “tipped workers” however the owners of these salons use this loophole in the system to pay them far below minimum wage. One worker is quoted in the article as working without pay on slow days.
Using the often illegal status of these workers against them, affording them little to no rights. The nail salon owners are stripping them of their personhood and using them purely as a means to a profitable end.
As a male I have not spent very much time in a nail salon so this to me seems probably more shocking then to someone who frequents these businesses. Reading about this from the perspective of the people suffering through it is heart wrenching.
