Joseph Farah, a man in a woman's world. (Credit: Rayanne Tawil/L'Orient-Le Jour)
"I was the first man to work in the field of manicure. It was a taboo for everyone." Joseph Farah still remembers the comments that followed. The laughter. The disbelief. The looks people gave him. "When I started out in 2000, I faced disparaging reactions every day and it was especially tough."Today, those same videos that were once ridiculed are widely shared on Instagram. His posts rack up thousands of views — he has 25,000 followers — and attract a new audience far beyond his city of Zahle. Farah often talks about self-confidence, inventiveness and personal freedom with the same enthusiasm he brings to his “creations.”At 45, he has become one of the most-followed manicurists online. His success stems from the quality of his work, but also from the personality that shines through in his posts: direct, humorous,...
"I was the first man to work in the field of manicure. It was a taboo for everyone." Joseph Farah still remembers the comments that followed. The laughter. The disbelief. The looks people gave him. "When I started out in 2000, I faced disparaging reactions every day and it was especially tough."Today, those same videos that were once ridiculed are widely shared on Instagram. His posts rack up thousands of views — he has 25,000 followers — and attract a new audience far beyond his city of Zahle. Farah often talks about self-confidence, inventiveness and personal freedom with the same enthusiasm he brings to his “creations.”At 45, he has become one of the most-followed manicurists online. His success stems from the quality of his work, but also from the personality that shines through in his posts: direct,...
