Rae Thweatt (they/she) is the founder of Body Politic Hair Studios, an indie hair studio located in Richmond, VA. As a haircutting specialist with over 13 years of experience, Rae believes that hair has no gender. They aim to create a safer space for the LGBTQIA+ community that allows everybody to express themselves and their individual needs. 

Sage Lally (she/her) is a queer, Richmond-based entrepreneur (and Rae’s client and friend) with a penchant for photography, social media, content creation, and visual storytelling. Her experience has given her the opportunity to design, launch and manage creative marketing campaigns throughout the US, as well as develop meaningful and effective content for audiences of over 3M. She holds her BFA in Photography with a minor in Child and Adolescent Psychology and a concentration in Chinese language from the NYU Tisch School of the Arts, where she graduated with honors. Sage now runs be., an online community for women and non-binary people that helps you shop your values, and Pally, a creative agency she co-founded with her friend Katie.

body politic hair studios founder rae thweatt offers a “safer space”

interviewed by sage lally

Body Politic is a Queer-owned hair haven that combines elements of a barbershop and a hair salon, creating a less gendered hair care experience for all. Why is holding a safe space important for you as a hairstylist?

I’d like to start by saying that I think of Body Politic Hair Studios not as a “safe space” but as a “safer space.”

It is impossible for someone to claim a space to be 100% safe since no one can control the outside world or those who live in it. Now, what we have cultivated is an open-minded culture of kindness, creativity, and pride in who we are as unique individuals. We celebrate our guests and are here to help guide them on their hair journey, with no judgment or stigma, only love and support. This also applies to our workplace environment and engagement with one another every day.

You often tell me you believe hair has no gender. How do you practice this belief in your work with clients?

Yes! This is a phrase I first saw used by “The Dress Code Project” years ago and it so simply states the truth. Gendered hair services are a thing of the past. There is no such thing as a men’s or women’s haircut because any and everybody can wear their hair however they want.

This is implemented in my service by pricing according to the length of the hair and the amount of time needed. I approach each head of hair as it lives and simply address the needs that the hair and scalp may present.

How have you handled the challenges in the service industry over the past few years? Have you experienced any pushback from the greater community about your business?

Thankfully I have had the support of an amazing clientele. Without their encouragement and unwavering trust this couldn’t have been made possible. If there has been push back from the greater community about my business, I wouldn’t know. I fully believe in what I’ve created and the need for it in our city, if someone had something to say I’d be open to the conversation but wouldn’t waiver in where I stand or what I believe.

I opened Body Politic Hair Studios, in June of 2020.

In the height of the pandemic as well as the BLM social and political uproar heard around the world. My studio location was just two blocks away from the Marcus David Peters Circle (Lee Monument) in Richmond, VA.

It felt critical to give to the community in any way I could, more than it ever had before.

While the pandemic restrictions prevented my hair business from opening, support and love looked like putting cases of bottled water out front of the studio doors and offering bathrooms and AC to anyone who needed it.

I knew I was creating a space for people to feel safer and cared for in a vulnerable state, I never would have imagined it to begin in this way but damn how spot on it was with the mission I had been manifesting for months and months prior.

The challenges will always come and go. I think the biggest lesson I’ve learned in being a business owner is to relinquish the illusion that I have control over any of it and surrender to the moment. No one can predict what happens next, so I just strive to create beauty in every moment I’m given.

What is your favorite hairstyle to do right now? How has it changed throughout the years?

I’d say my favorite style to do right now would be anything that feels effortless and lived-in. Hair that is hand styled and air dried and celebrating our unique natural texture rather than using hot tools.

Give me hair that leans into its natural state of being, short or long!

This has changed from the beginning of my hair career in 2009, when heat styling was really in (I grew up in the era of the flat iron…we couldn’t help ourselves…)

Razor cutting has remained a constant tool of choice.

What got you interested in being a hairstylist? How long have you been cutting hair?

I have always had a love for hair, ever since I can remember. As a little kid I would ask my mom to put every barrett I owned into my hair or put soft curlers in my babysitter’s hair. All of my friends in the 9th grade got new bangs in the locker room via a pair of office scissors taken from the gym coach’s desk. Sometimes I joke that I had to go to hair school to redeem myself from those embarrassing days (sorry friends!) I attended Rudy and Kelly Hair Academy in VA beach directly after graduating high school in 2009 and have been in the industry since.

If you could tell us one piece of advice on how to take better care of our hair, what would it be?

Find a barber or stylist you connect with and make a plan together for the best care routine for YOU. We are all unique and it’s impossible to say if one thing works for me then it must work for everyone.

What’s in store for the future of Body Politic?

Body Politic has just expanded and evolved into a new larger location! We are now in the historic Jackson Ward neighborhood and are along Richmond’s Art District Art Walk. I have since added a few more chairs for new stylists and barbers to join the team and to be able to care for more of the Richmond LGBTQIA+ community.

I’m hoping to be able to participate in First Fridays this spring and summer and have some exciting social events in the works (think queer dance parties, fundraisers and pop up markets yeah!) Mostly just really looking forward to having the space to connect with more people and host some feel-good gatherings outside of our usual hair days.