A high rate of unemployment and a low rate of new hires tends to result in people becoming increasingly competitive and desperate to find a new job. It’s one thing to become really proactive and apply for every job in sight, even if it isn’t in your field or might be a step down from what you were doing before, because you need to have a regular income. But it’s another thing to spend money in order to try and land a job. One “expert” believes that plastic surgery is on the rise, despite the challenging economic times, as people try to look better in order to stand out from the competition:
The American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery reports that, among last year’s most prominent trends, about two thirds of its members reported seeing men and women who requested cosmetic surgery because they wanted to remain competitive in the workplace.
“In the corporate world, there’s a lot of emphasis on image, and image goes with self-confidence,” says Antonio Armani, a Beverly Hills, California, cosmetic surgeon who specializes in hair transplants. “I think a lot of people do invest money in improving their looks because they feel this is one way they can go up the corporate ladder.”
Such procedures included breast implants, tummy tucks, teeth whitening, and hair transplants (coincidentally, all the exact procedures that Jon and Kate Gosselin got!).
Maybe some people ascribe to the “you have to spend money to make money” philosophy, but I can’t get on board with this. Sure, ageism exists, but I wish we as a culture would spend more time combatting the origins of ageism than going along with it and mutilating our bodies in order to conform to some arbitrary standard of youth and attractiveness.
I feel like women have it much tougher when it comes to proper business attire. It’s pretty hard for men to go wrong with a suit (although my former boss and his “fun” ties with dumb prints on them sure did his hardest to disprove that statement), but women have to navigate everything from skirt length to heel height. If you’d asked me what I thought about wearing makeup at work, I would have guessed that women wearing obvious makeup at work was a faux pas, but a recent British study seems to prove me wrong:
64 per cent of directors said that women who wore make-up look more professional and 18 per cent of directors said that women who do not wear make-up “look like they can’t be bothered to make an effort.”
This Times of London article, which wants to present itself as helpful but is actually totally condescending, advises women on their makeup options. The author suggests going to a department store and getting a makeover from the consultants (and probably buying a lot of expensive products as well, right?), plucking eyebrows, using self-tanner and/or a bronzer, and even goes so far as to suggest that men should try sporting makeup as well.
Maybe some people think wearing makeup is the answer. I think “stop judging people by their looks as long as they’re presentable and dressed professionally” is a more efficient plan, but perhaps I’m in the minority on that one. After all – I work from home. It’s a miracle when I put on clothes instead of pajamas.
What about you? Do you feel pressure to wear makeup or to put on a certain kind of makeup for work?
Have you ever seen that 30 Rock episode about The Bubble? Tina Fey’s character Liz is dating a guy played by ultra-dreamy Jon “Don Draper” Hamm of Mad Men fame, and she realizes that his life is charmed because he’s good-looking. He can order stuff that isn’t on the menu at restaurants, people give him free stuff all the time, and Calvin Klein stops him on the street to ask if he can model in his new campaign. Liz tries to explain to her boyfriend that he lives in a bubble, but he’d rather just keep living a charmed life than have to deal with the fact that he gets preferential treatment for being hot.
According to a recent study, “the bubble” does kind of exist. ScienceDaily reports that “attractiveness, along with confidence, may help job-seekers stand out to employers.” While intelligence also plays a big role in determining confidence and self-worth, it’s far from being the only factor.
The researchers found that physical attractiveness had a significant impact on how much people got paid, how educated they were, and how they evaluated themselves. Basically, people who were rated good-looking made more money, were better educated and were more confident.
For more info on the study, “facial symmetry” theory, and more, check out the full report. Or hit Sephora during your lunch break and spend the rest of the day hating yourself for not being a supermodel. Whatever’s easier.
Remember when Annie Liebowitz’s assistant left his iPhone in the back of a cab? Luckily, it was returned, but only after being hacked. The worst thing to come out of it was the theft of some celebrities’ personal phone numbers and email addresses. However, an aide of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown (that was a lot of capital letters in a row) accidentally left some important papers in their backpack in the back of a cab in London. Among the info contained in said paperwork? Confidential information about the Prime Minister’s spending, a schedule for an upcoming trip… and his makeup shopping list. Ooops.
Among the beauty products Brown had on his list:
- Clinique “super-balanced” makeup
- A transparent foam brush
- Guerlain blush in Terra Cotta
A government spokesperson would only confirm that the bag and its contents were returned to the assistant, but there’s no word on whether the poor soul was fired or just reprimanded.
I have a drawer in my cube at work that I use for storing all kinds of random unrelated-to-work stuff, like breath mints, ponytail holders, Advil, contact solution, and chocolate (for emergencies, of course). However, if you guys are less worried about curing/concealing hangovers and more worried about looking good while at work, I highly recommend this article from the Washington Post about the best stash-in-your-desk beauty products.
Do you have an office beauty/grooming product you swear by? Mine is a handy tube of Burt’s Bees, because an assistant can never have enough lip balm. Tell us yours in the comments.
