'Get out': Hairdresser shares 'racist' client's awful act
A hairdresser has shared video of the moment a client, who she accused of being racist, tried to hit her.
Sharon Spellman, the Los Angeles-based stylist and owner of Simply Insane, uploaded the footage of the appointment with her client, who is only known as “Robin”, to social media.
The client refused to have her hair done by Ms Spellman’s assistant, who the hairdresser says is Mexican, which sparked a heated discussion between the two.
After the video went viral, Ms Spellman explained on Instagram Robin had previously made racist remarks about Mexicans, leading her to believe the outburst was racially motivated
“She’s going to do it exactly how I do it,” Ms Spellman is heard saying, adding colour to Robin’s hair who appears to express she is against it.
“Robin, you need to be more trusting,” the hairdresser responds.
“I’m not paying her, I’m paying you,” Robin said.
Ms Spellman then explains she pays her assistant, Alex.
Robin then threatens to leave if Ms Spellman does not do her hair, which the hairdresser explains is half done.
“Robin, she’s my assistant,” Ms Spellman says, to which Robin says she doesn’t “care”.
“I want you to do my hair, I'm not gonna tell you again,” Robin says.
Ms Spellman then tells her client not to talk to her “disrespectfully” and tells Robin to get out, all while Alex is sitting in the background.
“You can’t talk to people like that and just like, do whatever you say,” Ms Spellman says.
“I came to get my hair done!” Robin says hysterically, Ms Spellman then explains she is running a business and she is training her assistant.
“Honestly, Robin, if you don’t want to hear me out and get to the resolution of this you can leave.”
Robin then appears to make an aggressive move towards Ms Spellman who tells her to “get the f**k out”.
Ms Spellman explains Robin’s attempt to hit her was caught on her security camera and begins to remove a protective apron from around the client’s neck.
Robin continues to object, asking what she is suppose to do with her half-done hair which is full of product.
“I apologised, I have a lot of stress in my life,” Robin says, then continues to beg Ms Spellman to let her stay, who tells her they will have to reschedule.
“I really took care of you when no one in the other salons wanted to do your hair - I wanted to do your hair and we created a bond,” Ms Spellman said, who then tells Robin to go home and wash her hair to get the product out.
Robin is the new ‘Karen’
Ms Spellman uploaded the security footage to her social media accounts. On Instagram it has racked up more than two million views and a lot of support for how she handled the situation.
“MY RACIST CLIENT TRIED TO HIT ME,” Ms Spellman wrote on Instagram.
“ROBIN IS THE NEW KAREN Y’ALL!!!!”
Ms Spellman explained the whole argument started because Alex was going to finish off her hair, which led to the hairdresser to believe Robin’s tirade was racially motivated.
“I do not condone racism, violence, or disrespect,” Ms Spellman said on Instagram.
“I will always stand up for what is RIGHT! I understand people are going through their own hardships but, WE ALL ARE! That is not an excuse to treat others poorly!!!”
In an Instagram live video, a day after Ms Spellman uploaded the security footage, she explained Robin had been her client for roughly one-and-a-half to two years.
She explained Robin was passed from stylist-to-stylist at the salon until Ms Spellman took her on, though sometimes she would have to pull her up on how she treated others.
“I took her on and she was amazing,” Ms Spellman explained.
“We had a few circumstances where she would cuss people out at the salon and I’d be like, ‘Robin, that’s not okay’, and she would instantly be like, ‘okay, you’re right, I’m sorry’, and she would apologise to everyone in the salon.”
Client previously made remarks about Mexicans
Ms Spellman then explained in the past, Robin had made “many” remarks specifically about Mexicans.
“To me now, looking back at the situation, I’m connecting the dots and I’m like, ‘oh my God no wonder she was so disrespectful to my assistant, my assistant is Mexican’,” Ms Spellman said.
She also said when Robin walked in to that appointment and met Alex for the first time, she looked her up and down, did not say hello and asked her if Alex was “staying”.
A December 2019 Pew Research Center survey of Latino adults found 48 per cent had serious concerns about their place in the US and 38 per cent of participants said they had been discriminated against within the year.
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