Key Takeaways: The world of barbering is full of talented women who are making an impact both behind the chair and beyond it. From longtime industry pioneers to today’s most visible social media educators and celebrity barbers, these famous female barbers are helping shape the future of the profession and inspiring the next generation to pick up their clippers and make their mark.
Updated: October 7, 2026
So many of us are guilty of thinking of barbering as a male-dominated industry.
And while, historically, that might be partially true, it's not the full story. For as long as barbering has been a thing, women have been cutting, shaping, styling, and redefining the craft.
The good news? They'll continue to – and our industry is better for it.
Today, female barbers are making their mark everywhere – in neighborhood barbershops and education platforms as well as celebrity grooming, fashion, social media, and beyond.
Some female barbers have spent decades behind the chair, while others are building massive online followings and using their platforms to educate the next generation of barbers. What they have in common is a talent for their craft and a willingness to carve out their own space in the industry.
Whether you’re an aspiring barber looking for inspiration, a seasoned pro wanting to discover new talent, or you just appreciate a seriously good haircut, here are several female barbers worth knowing – and following!
A Few Famous Barbers Every Pro Should Know
Sofie Pok | @staygold31
Sofie Pok is a well-known barber, but she's far better known online as StayGold31. She's a Los Angeles-based barber, educator, brand ambassador, and content creator with more than 17 years in the industry.
She’s also a co-creator of STMNT Grooming and has taken her barbering education around the world, teaching in more than 25 countries.
What makes Sofie especially interesting is how she’s turned social media and content creation into an extension of her career behind the chair. She uses her platform to educate, share her craft, and create new opportunities for herself and other barbers. We've long recommended her as a barber to watch – and we won't stop adding her to our list as long as she keeps sharing her incredible work with the world!
KC Fee | @kcfee
If you’ve ever watched a red carpet and wondered who is behind the guys looking that good, there's a good chance barber KC Fee was involved.
An adored celebrity men's groomer with a career spanning two decades, KC has worked with high-profile names including Jeremy Allen White and Kumail Nanjiani and has been featured in publications including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Esquire.
Her work also extends into major fashion campaigns you might recognize. She was a big part of Louis Vuitton's 2026 men's campaign featuring Jeremy Allen White and Pusha T.
Whitney VerMeer | @whitneyvermeer
Minneapolis-based barber, educator, entrepreneur, and award-winning hairstylist Whitney VerMeer has built a reputation for treating barbering as a true creative art form.
Her work draws heavily from architecture, sculpture, and design, resulting in highly conceptual, precise cuts. In 2017, she even became the first woman to win the NAHA Men's Hairstylist of the Year.
She has also collaborated with Mizutani on a line of shears designed with female hand anatomy in mind, bringing her influence beyond the haircut itself and into the tools professionals use every day. In other words, she's out here doing the most for women in our industry.
Patricia Plymire | @queenofthesouth512
Austin-based barber Patricia Plymire brings together two very different skill sets: precision barbering and intricate braiding.
That combination has helped her stand out on social media, but her career has grown well beyond creating eye-catching work for Instagram. Patricia has increasingly focused on education, industry collaborations, and mentoring other barbers, including hands-on training and brand partnerships.
Full disclosure, we also already named her one of the barbers to watch in 2026, making her a great example of a barber who's continuing to evolve with the industry.
Leah Hayden Cassidy | @hayden_cassidy
Irish-born but London-based, barber Leah Hayden Cassidy specializes in short hair and beards, blending techniques from barbering and hairdressing with inspiration gathered from working and traveling around the world.
She has built a career as an international educator and platform artist, while also working with fashion, music, editorial, and celebrity clients. In 2024, she became Dior UK's first female Grooming Expert, bringing her barbering expertise into Dior's campaigns, shows, and men's grooming work.
As a bonus, she also founded Croí, a creative studio and barbershop space in East London.
Mariela the Barber | @mariela_the_barber
Mariela the Barber represents a whole new generation of barbers using social media to put their work – and their personality – front and center.
Her content showcases detailed cuts, fades, designs, and transformations while giving followers a look at the creativity and technique that goes into her work. She's a great one to follow if you're interested in seeing how today's barbers are using online platforms not just to show off their finished cuts, but to build their personal brands and connect with the next generation of clients and barbers.
The Long-Standing, Revolutionary Impact of Women in Barbering
Women have been an important part of barbering for decades, even if they haven't always gotten the same recognition as their male counterparts. Since the beginning, female barbers are making their mark behind the chair, in education, entrepreneurship, celebrity grooming, social media, and beyond.
A Few Famous Female Barbers Who Helped Shape the Barbering Industry
Some women have been pushing the industry forward long before Instagram and TikTok made it easy and possible to build a following from behind the chair.
Mollie Edmonds became the first licensed female barber in Texas in 1945 and went on to open her own barbershop in Longview in 1951. She continued cutting hair for nearly 60 years, building a career that spanned generations of clients.
Laura Clemente is another longtime industry trailblazer. After becoming one of the first female barbers in Cleveland, she founded La Barberia Institute of Hair and spent decades teaching and advocating for the profession. In 2023, she was inducted into the National Barber Museum Hall of Fame.
Their stories are a reminder that women aren't newcomers to barbering. In fact, women made up more than half of barbering students by 1985. Today, that legacy continues through female barbers who are building businesses, educating the next generation, developing new techniques, and using social media to bring more visibility to their work.
You Built Your Barbering Career, Too – Make Sure You Protect It
The women featured here have built careers by putting in the hours, mastering their craft, building their clientele, and carving out their own space in the barbering industry. You've done that, too.
Whether you’re following in their footsteps or building a completely different path, your career is worth protecting, too.
As your business grows, so do the things you’re responsible for. An unexpected accident, injury, or liability claim can happen to any barber – even when you’re doing everything right.
You built your career. Now protect it with barber liability insurance that has your back! We've got coverage that can help protect the business you’ve worked so hard to build.
If there’s one word that defines modern barbering, it is community. People gather at barbershops specifically to network, talk about life, and build their circle of neighbors and friends. As the industry grows and changes, female barbers like those mentioned here will undoubtedly be a catalyst for positive change. From inspiring future generations of women to follow their barbering dreams to making the barbershops of now more welcoming to everyone, their influence is real and meaningful.
We encourage you to celebrate the women in your life this Women’s History Month as you recognize those who have made an impact on the lives of their loved ones, their communities, and the world. If you love barbering and want to keep up with the latest trends, news, and insights, be sure to subscribe to NAOB. From tips and tricks to celebrations of individuals in the industry, our blog is your go-to source for all things barbering.
