I'm not sure if Hegai was the first recorded fashion stylist in all of history, or simply in the Old Testament, but I think it's cool that the book of Esther includes his role in the story.
Hegai was one of the King's eunuch servants. When King Xerxes (ruler of the Persian empire at the time when Persia was the world leader, 483BC) decided to search for a new bride, Hegai was put in charge of the new "harem," a responsibility that included beauty treatment regimens for all the candidates. As one of the beautiful young women in the pool, Esther was entrusted to Hegai's care.
I'm not sure if it was immediate or if this happened after some time, but Esther 2:9 (NLT) says that "Hegai was very impressed with Esther and treated her kindly. He quickly ordered a special menu for her...He also assigned her seven maids specially chosen from the king's palace, and he moved her and her maids into the best place in the harem."
Each women received 12 months of beauty treatments before she spent her night with the King. There was a lot of pressure here, because this one night would mean the difference between being queen and being just another woman in the king's harem of many wives.
Esther 2:13 clearly tells us that the women could choose their own clothing and jewelry for their big night. "When the time came for her to go in to the King, she was given her choice of whatever clothing or jewelry she wanted to enhance her beauty."
Esther took her fashion and beauty advice from Hegai, a great choice since he would probably know best what the King would like. Esther 2:15 tells us that "When it was Esther's turn to go to the King, she accepted the advice of Hegai, the eunuch in the charge of the harem. She asked for nothing except what he suggested, and she was admired by everyone who saw her." Way to go, Hegai!
Of course, we know that the King loved Esther more than any of the other women, she became the queen, and Persia celebrated. Woohoo! If Hegai wasn't indebted to serve the King at his palace, I bet he could've opened his own business and garnered some great clients with that success story on his resume.
I wonder if Esther got to keep Hegai on as her personal stylist through the rest of her reign.
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