YouTuber Alissa Ashley just changed up her cropped haircut for the first time since we've come to know her as an influencer — and she's getting unrightfully dragged for it.
Ashley is being dragged on Twitter for the mere price of her new style. In her latest vlog, she gets box braids, but the big shock comes at the end of the video, when she says she got them done for $550. She also tipped $150, bringing the total cost to $700. Twitter couldn't take just how expensive they were, and began flooding her mentions with unnecessary hate.
Yeah, Ashley could have had the braids done for a lower price, but her money is her business.
YouTuber Alissa Ashley has a new look!
Ashley is sporting a longer hair style for the first time in years. The 24-year-old cut her hair short at 15 and kept it that way until she got these box braids in a recent vlog. They look beautiful, and fans definitely love them. They just aren't crazy about the price. Ashley let it be known that she spent $550 to get her hair done.
Even though Ashley's hair looks phenomenal, people had a lot to say about the price.
It looks like as soon as fans discovered the price tag for Ashley's hair, they said, "No, ma'am." People were quick to let the YouTuber know she paid what they thought was too much money. I guess they couldn't wrap their heads around paying that much to get their own hair done. Maybe they have other things they could be using $550 on.
It turns out that the $550 was just the cost for the service. After tipping her stylist, Ashley paid $700 total.
People wouldn't leave her alone about the price of her new hair, so Ashley fired back on Twitter. One user said she paid too much for something she could have gotten done for much less money elsewhere.
Technically, people pointing out that she could've paid less are right. Had Ashley gone somewhere else, she could have gotten the braids done for a much lower price.
But that's true for everything, right? Plenty of people can pay around $100 or less to get their hair done just like they can choose to pay a lot more for makeup, clothes, or anything, really. You have to consider that the stylist Ashley chose is based in Beverly Hills, a pricey destination for any beauty service.
You can get a similar look for much less money.
The price Ashley paid is not the typical price I would say the average person pays to get their hair braided. But, to be fair, her hair is gorgeous. It's very neat, evenly spaced, and her baby hairs are laid. Just looking at her hair, you can see Ashley went to a stylist of high quality. Not everyone who braids hair is going to do that good of a job.
People who pay less for hair braiding might have different kinds of financial needs, sure. But they also might not receive this quality of work. As the saying goes, sometimes you get what you pay for.
Ashley got her hair done by Kari Williams, a highly sought-after celebrity stylist.
Williams is a well-known celebrity hairstylist whose work has been featured all over the place — she's had more than a few big names in her chair. She's on the California State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology and has been so since 2013. She will serve as its president until next year.
Maybe this is less about how much Ashley paid and more about how little we value the services of black women.
It's understandable that not everyone can afford to pay this price, but Ashley paid someone with years of experience, a literal doctor, to do her hair. Williams has a Ph.D. in trichology, the study of the hair and scalp. She's been doing hair for years, she offers classes, and she owns her own salon. She's free to charge whatever she wants.
Just because people are used to paying a low amount to get their hair done doesn't mean that's what everyone has to pay.
Keep in mind that we pay for things we feel are worth it.
Of course, not everyone can afford to pay this much money on their hair, but people are willing to put money into things they feel are worth the price. People buy the latest technology, designer labels, whatever it is that they're into. They're willing to pay the price because they value something enough to do so.
Think of all those people who spend hours and hundreds of dollars working on cosplay or another similar hobby. Not everyone likes it, but to some people it's really important. Besides, does anyone really need Airpods?
Have we forgotten that Ashley more than fairly earned her YouTube money?
Ashley has been doing YouTube for years, and it's earned her millions of followers. She even said in a video that she is not only able to support herself but also helps out her mom financially. She wears designer labels pretty consistently, so it's clear she's not necessarily broke, although her income is really none of our business.
We all know that if we had that kind of money, we'd be spending it too.
Like I said, people have money they're willing to spend on certain things. But I can also understand not wanting to spend money on things that are just not worth it to me. Think about how wild we would be if we had all kinds of money! All the food. All the clothes. Who can really blame Ashley for treating herself? Definitely not me.
