![]() ![]() It’s acceptable for companies to have dress codes to ensure their employees are presenting a professional image, but when women are pressured into wearing makeup, there’s a clear, gendered double standard at play. “There's also a layer somewhere around being a fat woman and feeling like I don't have the option of looking casual at work because fat women are read as lazy or sloppy unless they're hyper-feminine and hyper-polished.” Sarah was often told she “looked tired” or asked if she was okay if she skipped wearing makeup at work. Sarah could never get away with the “endearingly scruffy” thing, not just because she’s a woman, but also because of her size. I think it's very similar in the creative sector: women and/or PoC are expected to be polished as hell, but white male creatives are seen as endearingly scruffy.” “And it's okay, because they're genius developers or whatever, so being completely unprofessional in a number of ways is tolerated. “The guys are regularly in hoodies and jeans - sometimes even bare feet,” she explains. Sarah, 30, worked in the tech sector, and had a similar experience of this double standard. As Alex mentioned, “the guys on the men’s floor walked around with their boxers showing, and put zero effort into their looks. Unsurprising or not, men are not similarly obliged to cover the dark circles under their eyes or flush out their cheeks with powdered blush – let alone wear a full “date-ready” face of makeup – and many women report a double standard in their companies’ presentation requirements. Of course, the cost of purchasing makeup certainly impacts us all financially as well.” Losing opportunities to make money this way adds up over time. This kind of punishment takes money directly out of your pocket, as the bulk of our income comes from tips. They will give you a section with smaller tables, cut you from the rotation early, not allow you closing or opening shifts, and so on. “When the management doesn't like how you look or act, they make a point of punishing you indirectly. “If I would like to come to work with significantly less makeup on, I would receive a disciplinary conversation from one of the female managers,” she continued. Three out of five of the management staff are women and they will routinely correct employees not adhering to this mostly subjective standard.” For most of us, that entails full foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, mascara, etc. “The specific language in the dress code was "date-ready makeup". “The requirements came from both managers and the handbooks we were all given upon being hired,” she explained. Jordan, 22, worked at a restaurant and bar and faced similar rules. I faced more body confidence issues working there than any other job I'd previously had.” “The idea of spending an hour getting ready to go to a four hour shift made me resentful,” she added, “but, more than anything it was the guilt: the guilt that I didn't have a 14-step regime at night, or look pin-up ready, or that my eyebrows didn't match because I wanted five more minutes in bed. “Some weeks there were suggested or required make-up looks, and I was fairly regularly called out for not complying with guidelines.” “It’s a hard thing to do when you’re working part time with no guarantee of hours - a common happening, as only managers are hired with full-time benefits - to invest approximately $80 (after discounts) on makeup that I didn't wear outside of the store,” she explained. Katie, 28, worked at a well-known skin-care retailer, which had a policy for female employees to wear five to seven pieces of “visible” make-up from the company’s line - neutral makeup was not encouraged. “Most of the comments my manager made were vague and passive-aggressive, but still managed to communicate the message that, until I looked like a Fox News anchor, my appearance was unacceptable.”Īllure also heard from women working retail and hospitality roles who faced explicit requirements to wear makeup on the job. ![]() “On one occasion, I didn't wear eye makeup because my allergies were very bad, and I was told I was letting my uniform slip,” she said. However, the women in the office started to receive group texts from their manager telling them they needed a more "polished" appearance. For example, Victoria, 32, was working as a concierge at a luxury apartment building where she was given a copy of the company dress code, which did not mention hair or makeup. Women who work in service roles are particularly susceptible to the pressure to wear makeup - sometimes this takes the form of unofficial requests by managers, hedged as “looking presentable” or “representing the company”.
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