My Nola My Story: NOLA Estheticians
Title
My Nola My Story: NOLA Estheticians
Format
Video
Subject
The background and aspirations of Alyshia Cheavious and Rhianna Jordan, the owners of South Skin (Body, Face, and Skin Services)
Description
Alyshia Cheavious and Rhianna Jordan share their childhood experiences living in New Orleans as well as their reasoning and elaboration of their journey of becoming Estheticians in Nola. Many people do not know of the various Esthetician services provided in New Orleans. This video purposely spotlights them to tell their stories. A hidden gem that the media does not portray.
Creator
Zamariah Strozier
Source
My Nola My Story via Youtube
Publisher
Mass Communication Department at Xavier University of Louisiana
Date
November 28, 2022
Contributor
Zamariah Strozier
Alyshia Cheavious
Rhianna Jordan
Alyshia Cheavious
Rhianna Jordan
Rights
My Nola, My Story.
Relation
My Nola, My Story 2022 Exhibit.
Language
English
Type
iMovie, video
Identifier
https://youtu.be/6Ql58GZM9RM
Coverage
A Digital Humanities project by Xavier University of Louisiana's Mass Communication department students, led by Dr. Shearon Roberts.
Original Format
Transcription
Intro: People travel all around the world to see New Orleans for its nightlife parties, riches and diamonds, or a walk along Bourbon Street to catch a trolley. If they look closer and clearer, they can see what it truly means to thrive in New Orleans and not just what the media frames it to be. Here is the story of two Marvelous and Devoted Black women and their stories of being top tier estheticians in New Orleans.
South Skin has been accelerating since its opening in 2018, four years of Phenomenal Work, located on 1534 Aline St. in New Orleans, Louisiana . They have created a very welcoming and luxurious environment for their clients all around. They have various products that help with various skin issues as well as services such as facials, Waxing, Brow services, and many more. Here is Ms. Alyshia Cheavious and her story.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Zamariah Strozier: Hello, who are you?
Alyshia Cheavious: So, my name is Alyshia Cheavious, I’m one of the owners here at South Skin.
Zamariah Strozier: Okay and you know what is your uh background in being an esthetician?
Alyshia Cheavious: Okay so I originally went to John and Jame for cosmotology, um during my time there I fell in love with skin care and waxing. Um so after I left graduated there I had my first job at European Wax Center where I started waxing and my love for waxing grew. Um it made me realize that you know I could still being able to you know commune with a lot of different people from different backgrounds and just help women with their self esteem especially with their body. Um and after I left there I went to another business where you know I was able blossom and continue my education in skincare and then um eventually I gained the courage to venture out on my own.
Zamariah Strozier: Okay, are you a New Orleans’ native or what is your hometown?
Alyshia Cheavious: Yes, so I’m originally from New Orleans. Um however after Katrina, my family and I had to relocate to a small tow called Nacklish and I stood there for about eight years and then I came back here in two thousand thirteen and been her ever since.
Zamariah Strozier: And how was growing up in New Orleans?
Alyshia Cheavious: Ooo girl, growing up in New Orleans was very fun. I had a wonderful childhood um I grew up in a time where you know me and my friends we can ride all the way down to the Bayou St. Jana, to city park on our bikes and we had block parties and we had things to do in a city to you know for kids and we felt safe enough to do that. C’mon Rih, um also it was great. Like you went to the corner store. You was able to get any kind of food you wanted if it was a ten piece wings, hot, buffalo, you know whatever and or you wanted a Po’boy or just some pickles and chips. So You know it was great time, I grew up in a time where you still was just spending time with family and you know your neighbors was actually able to correct you and watch over you if your parents wasn’t around. We had a good time, the culture in New Orleans was really strong then. You know it’s some stuff as New Orleanians, we hold dear to our hearts like you know Fun Day Sunday you know you gone a uh catch a second line or you gone go to your favorite sportswear and hang out with ya people in the neighborhood you know so that y’all could buy a new saints game or some like that because that’s near and dear to our hearts but you know certain stuff like going down to the lake for Easter you know that hasn’t been like something that’s just popular like because family some a lot of families are broken you know because of Katrine because they went off to different places and now people are just trying to create they new things now.
As well as, Ms.Rhianna Jordan and her story.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Zamariah Strozier: Okay, so can you tell us who you are?
Rhianna Jordan: Hi, I’m Rhianna, everyone calls me Rih I’m a CEO of South Skin um yeah that’s me.
Zamariah Strozier: And um are you a New Orleans native?
Rhianna Jordan: Yes, I have been here all of my life. Um I’ve only lived outside of New Orleans for college um yeah New Orleans is definitely home. I know that I am moving, but I will always come back here, always have a residency here in some way.
Zamariah Strozier: And what was your childhood like here, like what was it like growing up here in New Orleans?
Rhianna Jordan: My childhood was very different than a lot of New Orleans Natives. So, I actually grew up on Gretna which is on the West Bank and I am half Italian and half Black and I grew up with just my Italian mother, my white mother. Um so I had a crazy upbringing I dealt with a lot of racial issues that I didn’t understand as a kid growing up um I even had a scenario where like somebody thought my mom stole me like in a Walmart um because it was a White woman walking with a Black kid with curly hair all over her head. Um growing up in New Orleans was, it was difficult at times because of my confusion of who I was and um I had to like learn and find my blackness on my own because my mom couldn’t teach me that. Um as I became a teenager and started like getting friends I got more involved with the community and things like that um but I would never trade it for anything in the world. One thing that I can say that New Orleans has done for all of us is, it made us tough. I have everything that I have today because of everything that I been through um because I know what to do, I have work ethnic, I don’t stop and I’m not finna stop like this is a city of huslers. I never, I would not know how to hustle how I do if I would have came up anywhere else.
Zamariah Strozier: What made you want to provide um or I should say cosmetology/esthetician services in New Orleans?
Rhianna Jordan: Basically the way it started was when I was in school, um when I was in school it was the first time I realized how many like Black girls don’t know how to take care of themselves, don’t know how to properly clean themselves, don’t know how to take care or their curls or do a lot of different things. And I originally got into this journey because I knew that I wanted to help and teach the younger girls how to do this things. Um, I kind of fail into waxing per say and I think it was the best thing for me because it out me on that journey of wanting to help people and how to take care of themselves.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Outro: The Real Nola and Credits
South Skin has been accelerating since its opening in 2018, four years of Phenomenal Work, located on 1534 Aline St. in New Orleans, Louisiana . They have created a very welcoming and luxurious environment for their clients all around. They have various products that help with various skin issues as well as services such as facials, Waxing, Brow services, and many more. Here is Ms. Alyshia Cheavious and her story.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Zamariah Strozier: Hello, who are you?
Alyshia Cheavious: So, my name is Alyshia Cheavious, I’m one of the owners here at South Skin.
Zamariah Strozier: Okay and you know what is your uh background in being an esthetician?
Alyshia Cheavious: Okay so I originally went to John and Jame for cosmotology, um during my time there I fell in love with skin care and waxing. Um so after I left graduated there I had my first job at European Wax Center where I started waxing and my love for waxing grew. Um it made me realize that you know I could still being able to you know commune with a lot of different people from different backgrounds and just help women with their self esteem especially with their body. Um and after I left there I went to another business where you know I was able blossom and continue my education in skincare and then um eventually I gained the courage to venture out on my own.
Zamariah Strozier: Okay, are you a New Orleans’ native or what is your hometown?
Alyshia Cheavious: Yes, so I’m originally from New Orleans. Um however after Katrina, my family and I had to relocate to a small tow called Nacklish and I stood there for about eight years and then I came back here in two thousand thirteen and been her ever since.
Zamariah Strozier: And how was growing up in New Orleans?
Alyshia Cheavious: Ooo girl, growing up in New Orleans was very fun. I had a wonderful childhood um I grew up in a time where you know me and my friends we can ride all the way down to the Bayou St. Jana, to city park on our bikes and we had block parties and we had things to do in a city to you know for kids and we felt safe enough to do that. C’mon Rih, um also it was great. Like you went to the corner store. You was able to get any kind of food you wanted if it was a ten piece wings, hot, buffalo, you know whatever and or you wanted a Po’boy or just some pickles and chips. So You know it was great time, I grew up in a time where you still was just spending time with family and you know your neighbors was actually able to correct you and watch over you if your parents wasn’t around. We had a good time, the culture in New Orleans was really strong then. You know it’s some stuff as New Orleanians, we hold dear to our hearts like you know Fun Day Sunday you know you gone a uh catch a second line or you gone go to your favorite sportswear and hang out with ya people in the neighborhood you know so that y’all could buy a new saints game or some like that because that’s near and dear to our hearts but you know certain stuff like going down to the lake for Easter you know that hasn’t been like something that’s just popular like because family some a lot of families are broken you know because of Katrine because they went off to different places and now people are just trying to create they new things now.
As well as, Ms.Rhianna Jordan and her story.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Zamariah Strozier: Okay, so can you tell us who you are?
Rhianna Jordan: Hi, I’m Rhianna, everyone calls me Rih I’m a CEO of South Skin um yeah that’s me.
Zamariah Strozier: And um are you a New Orleans native?
Rhianna Jordan: Yes, I have been here all of my life. Um I’ve only lived outside of New Orleans for college um yeah New Orleans is definitely home. I know that I am moving, but I will always come back here, always have a residency here in some way.
Zamariah Strozier: And what was your childhood like here, like what was it like growing up here in New Orleans?
Rhianna Jordan: My childhood was very different than a lot of New Orleans Natives. So, I actually grew up on Gretna which is on the West Bank and I am half Italian and half Black and I grew up with just my Italian mother, my white mother. Um so I had a crazy upbringing I dealt with a lot of racial issues that I didn’t understand as a kid growing up um I even had a scenario where like somebody thought my mom stole me like in a Walmart um because it was a White woman walking with a Black kid with curly hair all over her head. Um growing up in New Orleans was, it was difficult at times because of my confusion of who I was and um I had to like learn and find my blackness on my own because my mom couldn’t teach me that. Um as I became a teenager and started like getting friends I got more involved with the community and things like that um but I would never trade it for anything in the world. One thing that I can say that New Orleans has done for all of us is, it made us tough. I have everything that I have today because of everything that I been through um because I know what to do, I have work ethnic, I don’t stop and I’m not finna stop like this is a city of huslers. I never, I would not know how to hustle how I do if I would have came up anywhere else.
Zamariah Strozier: What made you want to provide um or I should say cosmetology/esthetician services in New Orleans?
Rhianna Jordan: Basically the way it started was when I was in school, um when I was in school it was the first time I realized how many like Black girls don’t know how to take care of themselves, don’t know how to properly clean themselves, don’t know how to take care or their curls or do a lot of different things. And I originally got into this journey because I knew that I wanted to help and teach the younger girls how to do this things. Um, I kind of fail into waxing per say and I think it was the best thing for me because it out me on that journey of wanting to help people and how to take care of themselves.
-Images and Videos of South Skin with Prod. RflowBeatz Instrumental Music-
Outro: The Real Nola and Credits
Duration
7:27 (Seven Minutes, twenty-two Seconds)
Producer
Zamariah Strozier
Director
Dr. Shearon Roberts
Files
