bdmetronews Desk ॥ Ahead of the presidential inauguration on Friday, political figures and the like are shelling out big bucks for styling, beauty, and travel expenses. However, some are reportedly trying to get a bargain price for the services.
In a Washington Post story on Tuesday, freelance stylist Tricia Kelly of Randolph Cree Salon in Washington, D.C., claimed Marla Maples, ex-wife of President-elect Donald Trump, tried to avoid paying for hairstyling services for her daughter, Tiffany Trump, and herself on Inauguration Day.
After expressing interest in styling their locks for the big day, Kelly said she was connected to Maples’s assistant through a client. She outlined her rate — $150 for traveling expenses in addition to the cost for her styling services — to Maples’s assistant, which led to bargaining over the price between the parties.
“I was told they had a $300 budget for both of them for hair and makeup,” Kelly told the Washington Post.
The two parties eventually agreed on a flat fee of $200 for Kelly’s services and $150 for a makeup artist’s services for Maples and Trump, according to Kelly. However, Maples’s assistant then suggested the stylist waive her fee in exchange for promotion on Maples’s social media account, according to Kelly.
“I was stunned. I told them . . . I work for a fee, not for free,” she said, offended by the offer. Considering Maples has about 43,700 followers on Instagram, many stylists would love the opportunity to be promoted. However, Kelly prefers to keep her work with political types under the radar so that she doesn’t seem biased when working with clients of different political parties.
Describing the request as “entitled,” Kelly said, “There are people who make far less than they do who pay full price. People on staff — the incoming White House and the outgoing one — pay full price. It seemed like they were trying to see how much they could get for free based on their names.”
