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HER SERVICE IS STYLE: Lowell salon owner went from fatigues to funky

September 26, 2009. Jennifer Myers, The Sun

LOWELL – Two years ago, a fatigue-clad U.S. Air Force Staff Sgt. Meghan Harrah was perched in a turret in Tikrit, Iraq, an automatic weapon in her hand. Tod ay, her weapons of choice are a pair of sharp shears and a blow-dryer.

The 26-year-old stylist and salon owner is more likely to be mistaken for a punk rocker than a soldier, more Gwen Stefani than G.I. Jane. Bright red lipstick; her combat boots and cargo pants traded in for 3-inch heels and a short, black pencil skirt; her hair blond in the back and black in the front accented by multicolored extensions; her body covered in plenty of ink. On Sept. 11, 2001, Harrah, a native of Grass Valley, Calif., was studying photography and painting at the University of Nevada in Reno.

"I dropped out of school and joined the Air Force," she said. "I just felt that was what I was supposed to do." Harrah spent four months training in Minot, N.D., to join the Air Force Security Forces, the military police for that branch of the military, which included medic training. She spent time in Korea and Japan before being stationed at Bedford’s Hanscom Air Force Base, and shortly thereafter being deployed to Iraq. "Air Force cops generally guide planes on base in safe territory," she said. "That was what I thought I would be doing." She was mistaken.

Harrah’s duties included running convoys with U.S. Army personnel and training newly selected Iraqi police officers – no small task.

"Many of them were corrupt," she said. "We were in Saddam Hussein’s hometown, training these guys on how to fight and arrest people, and a lot of the guys we were training were the bad guys, so it didn’t make a lot of sense." Pictures of Hussein were hanging in police cruisers and police stations. While she was there, he was hanged. Her trainees, born and bred in a part of the world where women have not yet achieved equality, did not take kindly to receiving orders from a woman.

"It was extremely difficult to be a female in that position," she said. "They laughed and giggled at me. They would not listen to me, so I was eventually reassigned to head up outside security."

Harrah and three other female soldiers sat guard in turrets, keeping an eye on the landscape. They lived together is a small, cramped trailer.

She spent one year in Iraq, returning home with the Air Force and Army combat medals, several hairline fractures in her ankles, and frequent migraines. The injuries were the result of grenades being tossed under trucks she was accompanying, a common occurrence on the streets of Tikrit.

"The streets are extremely busy," she said. "We could see someone about to throw a grenade under a truck, but couldn’t do anything about it because you can’t open fire into a crowd." The explosive would ignite, Harrah and her team would make sure they were all still breathing, and continue on their mission. "I came home with 10 fingers, 10 toes and all of my limbs," she said. "A lot of others were not that lucky. It made me realize that life is short and you have to do what you love."

Looking for a new direction in life and knowing that she wanted to stay on the East Coast, Harrah started looking for affordable condos and fell in love with Lowell’s cobblestone streets and vibrant art community. She started Googling "art careers that make money." The Blaine Beauty School kept popping up in the search. She bit. The military paid for her to attend cosmetology school.

She immediately loved everything about hair design and makeup, landed an apprenticeship with respected stylist Paul Kenneth in Woburn and trained with So. Cap. USA, a natural hair extension company, becoming an instructor for the six New England states. She took some work as a pin-up model, but soon discovered that she preferred the behind-the-scenes action of preparing the models.

In May, Harrah realized her dream, opening her own salon – Eyeful Beauty on Middle Street in downtown Lowell. She reconnected with beauty-school pal Sabrina Calabro, who left Indra Salon in North Andover to come to work with her, and become the "backbone" of the business, according to Harrah. Breana Zarba, an experienced colorist, recently joined the team. Mumbles the cat greets clients at the door and walks the streets recruiting new clients.

"We get everyone in here, from business suits to the funky mohawk guy wearing a spiked collar," she said. "Generally, Sabrina gets the lawyers and nurses and I get the Brew’d Awakenings crowd."

Harrah gives a military discount, keeping the price equal to what would be charged at the PX. She shears the locks of the men who work at the military recruiting office down the block.

"I was stationed with a lot of those guys in Iraq, so it is nice to have that bond," she said. "Don’t get me wrong, I can make people look normal."

Harrah learned this week that she has been chosen to be a stylist at the Boston Fashion Show on Oct. 3, the models for which will be contestants from America’s Next Top Model.

Merging her old life with the new is the elaborate tattoo on her left arm. Drawn while she was in Iraq, it includes a heart for her family and friends, surrounded by healing snakes because she was a combat medic. In the middle of the heart sits a grenade emblazoned with the "om" sign, meaning peace. The rising sun, a peace sign, a dove and the phoenix round it out.

"I am lucky to be here," she said.

Harrah still attends physical therapy for her ankles as they rebuild their strength and the fractures slowly heal. Her doctor tells her it is probably not wise to wear 3-inch heels and walk on cobblestone streets. But she’s not about to give them up. "They are part of my look," she said. "I love them."

25 MOST FASCINATING PEOPLE OF 2009

December 31, 2009. Rita Savard, The Sun

Some roared into the spotlight. Others worked quietly behind the scenes. But all caught our attention with their stories in 2009. In no particular order, here is the The Sun’s third-annual list of the most fascinating people of the year:

#22. Megan Harrah Two years ago, the fatigue-clad Air Force staff sergeant was perched in a turret in Tikrit, Iraq, an automatic weapon in her hand. Today, her weapons of choice are a pair of sharp shears and a blow-dryer. Harrah returned home from Iraq with the Air Force and Army combat medals after her vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb. No longer able to serve, the 26-year-old combined her military know-how and passion for art to become her own boss. She owns and operates the Eyeful Beauty salon on Middle Street in downtown Lowell.

THE ART OF PAUL ROUSTAN

Spring 2010 – Issue 11. Amanda Budenis,
ILLUSION – The Magazine for Today’s Face and Body Artist

Article features an image of Meghan Harrah done up by Paul Roustan.


Click to view full article as PDF.

DENTISTS RAP ORAL PIERCINGS

07/16/10 – By Rachel R. Briere, rbriere@lowellsun.com,
Lowell Sun

Nicole Carter, 22
a hair designer at the Eyeful Beauty
salon in Lowell, shows a few of her 22 piercings.
SUN / David H. Brow

They have many different monikers. The “Medusa,” “Monroe,” “Crawford,” “Madonna,” “Labret,” “Dimple,” “Snake Bite,” “Spider Bite” and an endless list of trendy nicknames for facial and oral piercings.

But to Chelmsford dentist Louis Stylos, there is only one definitive name. “Wrecking balls,” he said.

Stylos has been practicing dentistry for 23 years. He said the popularity of oral piercings, which includes the tongue, lips and cheeks, is a recent trend among his patients in their 20s and early 30s though their origin dates to the ancient Egyptians in 1500 B.C. Once symbol of royalty, they’ve now become the cause of various dental conditions and health risks, according to the Massachusetts Dental Society (MDS).

“They do make a big impact on the health of teeth,” said Stylos, a member of the MDS. “An average person swallows anywhere between 2,000 to 3,000 times a day, that frequency causes a tongue ring to bang against teeth, causing trauma to teeth and gums.”

Brenda Ayala, 24, was plagued with infections after having her top left lip pierced twice in the same spot. It was about two years ago when the Lowell resident decided to have it done professionally. When the first attempt left her with a swollen lip and the piece of jewelry lodged in her skin, she removed it and had the piercer try once more.

The second try wasn’t much better. Ayala had trouble eating, and the jewelry irritated the inside of her mouth and gums from the friction.

“He didn’t tell me how to care for it or anything,” Ayala said of the piercer. “I see a lot of younger girls with their face pierced. Now that I’m a little older, I wouldn’t ever do it again. A lot of jobs are not accepting of exposed piercings.”

The constant rubbing of the jewelry in one’s mouth can cause enamel, porcelain and crowns to chip, Stylos said. Also, he said a person who doesn’t have meticulous oral hygiene is subject to infections but anyone can be susceptible since the mouth is brimming with bacteria.

“A lot of it is a fad where people will look back and ask why the heck did I do that. I had mutton chops in high school because they were in style and always wondered why,” he said. “You wouldn’t go around putting rocks in your mouth. That’s what you’re really doing.”

The most recent semiannual publication, Word of Mouth, written by dental professionals and members of MDS, is discouraging teens and young adults from oral piercings. The trade magazine lists a number of serious oral health complications including excessive bleeding, nerve damage, gum recession, swelling and choking hazards caused by loose jewelry.

Professional piercer Ryan Ouellette, 30, says dentists often disseminate incorrect information about oral piercings to scare people away from the trend. The owner of Precision Body Arts Tattoo and Body Piercing in Nashua has been piercing professionally for 13 years. He said the medical industry discourages people from getting piercings and tattoos, when he believes there is a very low possibility for health issues to arise. “Anything can go wrong when you break the skin,” Ouellette said. “You could chip your tooth on a chicken bone or cut your finger open with a knife chopping vegetables and cause an infection. Infections are rare when it comes to piercing. The equipment piercers use has to be sterilized, similar to a dentist.”

Ouellette said he has performed more than 10,000 piercings and has never heard a client complain of numbness from a lip-piercing gone awry. In his opinion, the biggest concern is jewelry that is not placed properly or wearing large, cheap or ill-fitting jewelry.

“If it’s not placed properly, it can cause rubbing on the enamel or chips in the teeth,” he said. “I’ve seen some lower-end studios give clients a one-size-fits-all piece, which doesn’t work at all.”

Nicole Carter of Lowell got her first piercing when she was 17. Now 22, she has more than 22 and at one time had nearly 30 piercings that complement her 27 tattoos.

She has the Monroe — a metal stud placed where icon Marilyn Monroe’s beauty mark was, just above the left side of her lip. Carter also sports two cheek piercings or “Dimples” and a tongue ring. Her bottom lip has been pierced four times because she wasn’t happy with the placement of the first three.

“I forget I even have my piercings,” she said. “I’ve never had any problems.”

But oral surgeon Thomas Trowbridge, who has worked at Lowell Oral Surgery Associates since 1991, has seen a number of infections from oral piercings and recession of the gums from constant rubbing. One 19-year-old man developed cellulitis from a tongue ring that spread into his neck. Trowbridge said he was in a fair amount of pain, had difficulty eating and was placed on antibiotics. This lasted for several weeks.

He also explained the danger of getting a piercing on the lower lip. If the mental nerve in that area is hit, Trowbridge said it could cause permanent numbness with a low chance for recovery.

“I guess if someone really wanted this as a fashion statement, I would go with an eyebrow piercing over the lip or tongue,” Trowbridge said. “However, I don’t love either.”

Ouellette said tongue piercing isn’t as popular as it was about five years ago. More 18- to 25-year-olds are coming into his shop for lip piercings, 80 percent of them females. Piercings typically start at $50 and include jewelry. Each customer signs a release form that outlines potential risks before their chosen body piercing. Ouellette then explains aftercare and then sends the client home with a pamphlet on how to care for the piercing. His website has an extensive section with frequently asked questions and cleaning tips.

“I’m not a doctor,” he said. “However, I have many years of experience in this field.” Carter, who works at Eyeful Beauty Salon in downtown Lowell, is passionate about her piercings. She says they’re a statement of her personality. “I care so strongly about my piercings,” she said. “It’s about being an individual.”