Today we’d like to introduce you to Trang Le.
Trang, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I am a former cosmetics executive who is currently working as a full-time content creator specializing in travel, fashion, and beauty. On the side, I am practicing as a freelance makeup artist and offering consulting services to a new beauty brand.
Let’s start with how I started positioning myself in the career I am in today. Since I was in ninth grade, I dreamt of being a part of the fashion world where I would be able to help people look and feel prettier. However, I was not a natural-born artist. My friends used to make fun of me when I drew. My mom never believed that I had any talent in art. That did not stop me from fulfilling my dream. If I could not be a designer or an artist the traditional way, I would be one my way. I went to business school, started fashion club to inspire others to follow their fashion dream regardless of any obstacles, rejections or others’ disbelief.
During that time, I started working with models to showcase my designs and getting to learn more about makeup. The opportunity came so I opened a makeup business overseas offering beauty products and consultancy to customers virtually. I was 19 years old at the time. The business was growing larger over a few years and started to interfere with my school and work schedule in the US. Combining that with my lack of experience, I made some bad business decisions. I decided to close the business, and shifted my focus to getting my master’s degree in business administrations (MBA). On my last year of studying for the MBA, during a mall visit, I got introduced to a part-time job opportunity as a freelance specialist at Dior. That was when I got my first-hand experience in applying makeup. After about half a year, I became a cosmetics executive for Dior at Macy’s in New England. The company sent me to New York for makeup training with the best talents including celebrity makeup artists.
Working for Dior allowed me to see how fashion and beauty go alongside each other. My job was a dream. I was able to make use of my business knowledge and at the same time, satisfy my artistic soul. I also loved the travel aspect of it since my stores spread across three states. After two years, my team and I grew the business successfully and we made top 3 in sales growth out of 17 regions in the country. Although I was happy with the job, I have a bigger dream for myself. That was when I decided to travel, make connections, learn necessary skills, and become a full-time content creator in order to build the foundation for my fashion business in the future.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My journey was never a smooth road. I was lucky to meet the greatest mentors, worked with the best people who believed in me and have learned so much over the years. However, along the way, I encountered countless challenges, rejections, bullying, and doubts, sometimes even from the people closest to me. There were times I didn’t know if I could even succeed in anything. I know many of the young women who are reading this might have experienced this self-doubt at some points in your life. When I had those moments, I always fought so hard in my mind to convince myself “I CAN DO IT! If I never try, I will never know.” Then, I kept on going. Now, I am able to look back and tell myself that I accomplished more than I could have had imagined.
Some of the things I learned over the years that have helped me to where I am today:
– Stop trying to beat yourself up over someone else’s achievements.
– Believe in yourself even when nobody else does.
– It is ok to have self-doubts but do not ever give up.
– Compete with yourself, not others.
– You are much more capable than you think.
– Be positive, be nice, be grateful and life will give you what you deserve.
I understand that these lessons are much easier to say than to do, but it is possible. To this day, I still constantly remind myself of the positive outcomes produced by practicing them in the past to continue my journey.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I am currently a full-time content creator specializing in travel, fashion, and beauty. I started releasing content for my Instagram this February, mostly on travel and fashion with some beauty tips. I am working on several Youtube videos to share my skincare and makeup tips, hopefully, to release during the next few months. My goal is to show you the parts of the world you have never seen through my lenses. In addition, I hope to offer beauty and fashion advice from the experience of someone who could barely color neatly inside a circle or hold a pencil steady, dressed mostly in t-shirts and jeans for many years and started out with makeup just like most of you.
On top of that, my insights and expertise working in the makeup industry gave me the opportunity to take on consulting projects and work with beauty brands to develop and perfect their products.
Along with being a content creator and beauty brand consultant, the skills I got from my exclusive makeup training by Dior allowed me to continue my work as a freelance makeup artist for photo shoots and special occasions and bring smiles to the faces of people I work with.
Do you think there are structural or other barriers impeding the emergence of more female leaders?
We all know that the majority of people working in fashion and beauty are women. However, sadly, in fact, most businesses in the industry are still run by male executives. So, what are the biggest barriers that prevent women from becoming leaders, even in the industry that we dominate?!
I think the best way to answer this question is with my own personal stories. When I was a kid, I was taught to not do certain things just because I was a girl! It unconsciously shaped me to believe that there were more limitations to what a girl could do. We fought for years for women’s rights and forgot that it should have started right at home, by teaching young minds to understand that they would not be punished for an action just because of their gender.
In kindergarten, I noticed girls and boys were separated into two groups in the playroom. Girls were playing house with dolls and cooking sets. Boys were playing with cars and building blocks. I was very shy, dark-skinned, and small compared to the other girls so I was not popular. They decided that I was not allowed to touch the cooking toys and assigned me a role to sit and watch. I notice that “women bullying women” unfortunately is a common thing, evolved in different shapes and forms, throughout different stages of life.
I went to the boy’s group asking if I could build blocks or play cars with them. They said no because these toys were for boys only, not for girls. Apparently, boys find it hard to let girls join their circle. Do you see the resemblance in a business setting?
When I was in middle school, I could barely find any stories about female leaders in my textbooks. At one point, I was disappointed because it seems like only men could do extraordinary things. I thought maybe a woman was not cut out to be a legend. I wanted to believe so badly that women could be successful leaders; so that as a woman, I would have a chance to become one myself. The fact that men were always the authority in our history led to very few empowering stories about female leaders. Women were not seen to be able to take on important roles in society; that led to their lack of confidence to be in charge and eventually, strengthened the belief that women could not lead effectively.
Over time, all things mentioned above prevented me, and many other women, from reaching their potentials, taking risks, doing something different, and daring to step out of bound to achieve something greater. In other words, women were conditioned to step back; allow men to build their own exclusive circle and strengthen their power for generations.
I believe the only way to break the barriers now is to teach kids gender equality at an early age so that step by step will change the way society assigns unfair values to different genders. We, as women, need to support and empower each other to elevate our potentials and strengthen our positions in society.
Contact Info:
- Email: onesteptobeautybytrang@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/osbbytrang/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OSBbyTrang/
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC28Wpj6jHOwaZS_A3CFLwwg?view_as=subscriber
Image Credit:
Trang Le, Nat Reed, Krista Luchette, Robert Blanchflower, Khuong Nguyen
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