I read a really interesting article today in the New York Times on how people perceive women with make-up on. Shockingly (this is sarcasm) they found that women who have more make-up on are perceived as more competent, better at their jobs and friendlier than those who do not. As a woman who is usually so sleepy in the morning that I consider it a success if I properly brush my hair, this makes me sad.
But this brings me to a bigger point- there seem to be two basic sides of this argument if you're a woman- those who find sexual appeal just another tool in a female's arsenal in the race to get ahead OR that the idea of using make-up to get ahead makes a mockery of women's lib and that any one who supports that must be a misogynistic pig.
I feel as though there must be a happy medium. I agree that looking presentable is important, especially if your everyday work revolves around customer-facing tasks. However, I'm not about to whip out my entire make up toolbox in the hopes that I would get an extra bonus this year. This whole conundrum does make me wonder though, what does it say about our society that this is even a legitimate thing to feature (and argue in favor of women wearing make up to work) in the New York Times?
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