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Racism in the beauty industry is nothing new, and for Drybar that unfortunate reality might also ring true. The hairstyling powerhouse has found itself in the middle of a social media firestorm after a New York employee allegedly referred to a customer using a racial slur.
The alleged firsthand account, which has since gone viral, has resulted in several other women coming out and sharing their negative experiences with the salon. The posts are outright disturbing, and they don't look to be ceasing anytime soon.
On Monday, a customer named Briana posted on Facebook about a less-than-favorable Drybar experience, in which she claims a salon employee referred to her as "chinky eyes."
Brand founder Alli Webb almost immediately took to her Instagram upon catching wind of the story to apologize for the incident.
And though some appreciated the apology, for many it was too little too late. Several other customers and some former employees came forward to share their unpleasant experiences, too.
One customer alleged of another Drybar employee: "Then she proceeded to call me a spoiled brat and yelled at me that the customer is not always right."
"Feeling bad and doing something proactive are different," said another, who felt that the apology had fallen on deaf ears.
A part-time employee, who asked to stay anonymous, talked about the salon's lack of employee training and education.
"They do not invest in their employees, the turnover is insane."
Several spoke about unacceptably long wait times.
"I took clients there and they made us wait over an hour."
"I literally went three times, and stylists were rude and sooo bad," shared one customer.
Another woman detailed an experience she had at a Hollywood location.
In it, she says her friend was allegedly racially profiled while waiting for a blowout.
Most disturbing, however, was an alleged racial comment made to a woman of mixed race who visited the same exact location to get her hair done.
"Maybe if you're Mexican."
Drybar's publicity team also expressed their apologies for these various situations, but the response seems to be something out of a copy-and-paste nightmare.
Webb has since reposted messages of support from Drybar fans on her Instagram, something that hasn't sat well with some, in particular, women of Asian descent.
Webb maintained that these negative customer experiences are not aligned with Drybar's policies, but after numerous complaints it seems that the workplace culture there is something that may need more attention than an apology.
