Getting ready in the morning is stressful enough, but a woman’s job may be on the line as she swipes on mascara and carefully does her hair.
While it’s a pain for many women, the time spent getting ready in the morning may impact how the work day goes and how much money she makes, Olga Khazan reported for The Atlantic.
It’s been proven time and time again that attractive people earn more money than others, and made-up women even get offered more prestigious positions at companies, one study reported.
“Makeup, in short, is a norm, and nothing ruins a first impression like a norm violation,” Khazan wrote. “Some women contend they only wear makeup to 'boost their confidence,' but the reason they feel less confident when they don’t wear it is that there’s an expectation they will.”
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According to Mint Life, 50 percent of women wear makeup because they feel like it gives them a “leg up at work and makes them feel confident.”
These women would be right. Studies have proven that wearing makeup does, in fact, give them a leg up at work, Catherine Saint Louis reported for The New York Times.
After viewing photos of several women with varying amounts of makeup or none at all, both men and women were more likely to say the more-made-up women looked more competent.
Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the studies' results made sense because being willing to take care of yourself makes you seem more willing to deal with others.
“Like any other thing that society rewards, people will take advantage of it,” Hamermesh said. “I’m an economist, so I say, why not? But I wish society didn’t reward this. I think we’d be a fairer world if beauty were not rewarded, but it is.”
Women have been facing such double standards for years, and many high-profile women deal with it, too.
Hillary Clinton responded to a Facebook question from a supporter earlier this week about the pressure women are under to always look good, Ryan Teague Beckwith reported for Time.
“Every morning, as my boyfriend zips out the door and I spend 30+ minutes getting ready, I wonder about how the ‘hair and makeup tax’ affects other women — especially ones I admire in high-pressure, public-facing jobs,” Libby Brittain asked Clinton.
Clinton responded with an, “Amen, sister,” before explaining that she does the best she can given the circumstances.
Khazan points out that working from home, a massive makeup strike or some words of wisdom from women in power, like Clinton, might be able to stop the association of looks and competence.
But while all of these are possible ways to fight the pressure to look perfectly made up all the time, nothing looks set to change in the near future.
In the meantime, you still may want to continue with your beauty routines. Just make sure not to overdo it because that also makes you seem untrustworthy.
Related links:
Lego criticized for offering girls beauty tips
How a Miss Colorado beauty queen ended up homeless
What Dove's latest body image campaign gets right — and wrong — about boosting self-esteem
Shelby Slade is a writer for Deseret News National. Email: sslade@deseretdigital.com, Twitter: shelbygslade.