French Tip Tippi

Now here's a piece of modern cultural anthropology. Do you know who was the catalyst for the emergence of the Asian mani-pedi salons throughout North America? If you recognize the Hitchcock blonde from the picture above you'll know it was Tippi Hedren. Yes, Tippi Hedren, star of The Birds and Marnie, and the mother of Melanie Griffith,  is responsible for the spread of the nail-salons.

In 1975, Tippi Hedren was drawn by the plight of the Vietnamese boat people housed in the tent village of Hope City on the US West Coast. While visiting the relocation centre to see how she could help, the Vietnamese women were fascinated by Hedren's well-manicured nails. Next visit, she flew in her manicurist to teach the women the tools of the trade. Hedren's manicurist worked with a local beauty school to help the Vietnamese women find jobs. Twenty women, once teachers, government workers and business owners learned the trade. And an industry was born.