Hairstylist Turns Mugshot Into Marketing Opportunity
By: Tomide Olowoyo
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. And when the Mecklenburg County Sheriff’s Dept. gives you a mugshot, use it for marketing.
Going viral can be a double-edged sword. It can be for negative reasons (for brands like H&M) or positive ones. Such is the case for 23-year-old Charlotte resident Shia Yearwood, who literally turned a bad situation into a business opportunity.
On Jan. 3, Shia was arrested and charged with violating a domestic protective order in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. When her mugshot was posted to the county's records, it was then shared by the Twitter account @CharlotteMugs, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Despite the initial drama, Shia received a silver lining — publicity for her growing braiding business. “When I found the post on Twitter, I retweeted it and hashtagged #BraidsByShia,” she explains. “I was just simply showing people that I had nothing to be ashamed about. I thought I looked good and I thought my braids looked amazing — they were literally done two hours prior to the mugshot.”
Shia has been braiding hair for over 15 years. She credits her grandmother and godmother for helping her hone her skills despite not being enamored with the craft at first.
Yearwood views her reaction to the arrest as a positive.
“I overcame it,” she told Inside Edition. “I am not bad. I am not sad. I wasn’t hurt. Someone tried to break me and it just worked out in my benefit.”
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