Re: Tipping in the MUA Industry
As I wrote already, I did not tip the MUA who did my bridal MU/Hair. The issue here isn’t you not tipping. The reason you got such a harsh reaction is b/c of the way you worded it.
You yourself admit that it’s not possible for a average desi girl to do a proper desi bridal on her own. It takes years of experience and training to do desi bridal MU/Hair/dupatta setting etc. Good MUA’s also invest a lot money on good quality brand name products (The MUA I went to had studio full of MAC, Kryolan, and Laura Mercier). They spend their own money on courses, additional training, hiring employees to help with their business, overhead for office rent, advertising etc. On top of paying all the business expenses, they also need to make a profit. And it’s entirely upto them to decide just how much profit they want to make out of their career.
They are simply offering a service. Its not different than designers wanting VERY high amounts for outfits, purses, shoes etc. As a customer, it is upto us to decide whether or not we want to pay for a certain product. But when it comes to a luxury (and yes, being able to pay someone to do bridal MU is a LUXURY b/c plenty of poor people out there don’t have this option), it’s ridiculous for you to say that the vendor is taking advantage of you. Yes, there are vendors that overcharge for their services. But you as a consumer are in control. So if you choose to hire a vendor while being fully aware that you’re being overcharged…then it’s not a case where the vendor is taking advantage of you.