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Allure“We’re not that piece of paper,” Daesha Holloman, 31, tells Allure. She’ll be released from Rikers in November. “You take programs like this, opportunities like this, and you run with them and you give the best version of yourself,” she says. “I’m bigger than being incarcerated, and there’s people who actually believe in me.” Last month, Allure’s senior writer Lizzy Gulino and videographer Jarell Mique traveled to Rikers Island to report on a pilot program that gave three soon-to-be-released women hair and makeup transformations. The one-day event was organized by #BeautyBeyondBars, a nonprofit founded by 21-year-old criminal justice-reform advocate Lea Nepomuceno, and Citryne Rose New York, a Manhattan hair salon founded by hairstylist Julie Dastine. “The Department of Corrections can [make] you lose yourself, for a lack of better words,” Holloman continues. “You have to be strong enough to not fall into the dehumanizing situation…. You have to look at the end of the tunnel. It’s hard. I have my days where I forget I am going home.” Keep watching to step inside the salon at the Rose M. Singer Center with Lizette Lugo, Adia Charles, and Holloman. Tap the link in bio to see more photos and read Allure’s firsthand account of the one-day program at Rikers Island. Videographer: Jarell Mique Makeup: Marci Saucedo #Rikers #RikersIsland #incarceration
On the profile · Oct 9, 2026