Every day before work, women shave, shampoo, condition, exfoliate, moisturize, cover-up, tone, powder, brush, style, spray, whiten, clip, paint, smooth, enhance, conceal, deodorize and pluck (did we miss anything?). In fact women spend an average of 27 minutes a day getting ready for work, use somewhere around 16 unique products on their bodies and spend thousands of dollars on clothes and shoes.
Why do we do this? Some women use clothes, hair and makeup as a form of self expression, which is great! But many of us spend time on appearances in order to protect ourselves, fit into the mold and be “acceptable.” Remember what the patriarchy told you: ladies need to look the part in order to be successful.
The truth of the matter is that a woman’s appearance can impact her income, status, and how others perceive her at work.
According to Leah D. Sheppard, an assistant professor at Washington State University who conducted a variety of experiments testing others' perception of attractive women, found that “beautiful women were perceived to be less truthful, less trustworthy as leaders, and more deserving of termination than their ordinary-looking female counterparts.”
On another note, a seminal study conducted by NYU sociologist Dalton Conley and NYU graduate student Rebecca Glauber found that women’s weight gain results in a decrease in both their income level and job prestige. By contrast, men experience no such negative effects.
According to a landmark study from Cornell University, white women who put on an additional 64 pounds, experienced a 9% drop in wages. And according to a 2007 paper from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a statistically significant "wage penalty" for overweight and obese white women. ("Previous studies have shown that white women are the only race-gender group for which weight has a statistically significant effect on wages," according to the paper.) The obese take a bigger hit, with a wage loss of 12%.
And as if that isn’t enough, a more recent study by researchers at Harvard University, Boston University, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found makeup was found to increase people’s perceptions of a woman’s likeability and trustworthiness as well.
And finally, although there is no correlation between height and effectiveness or intelligence, a woman who is 5 feet 7 inches tall--well above the national female average of 5 feet, 3.5 inches--will make $5,250 more over the course of a year than a female co-worker standing 5 feet 2 inches.
So what to do about it?
And of course, the good reads:
For Women in Business, Beauty Is a Liability
Your looks and your job
Think Looks Don't Matter? Think Again
The double standards women face at work every day
The lady stripped bare | Tracey Spicer | TEDxSouthBankWomen
Managing Work, Life and Saying ”No”
Rest Is So Much More Than Sleep
Self-Care (still) Requires That You Crush the Patriarchy
Burnout–it’s still a thing
You (still) Need More Vacations
Words Matter–The English Language Holds Women Back
Mind Your Manners...Or Not
When Your Coworker is Sad
Managing Change That You Don’t Control
Interviews–Ready, Set, Get that JOB!
Your Beliefs Shape the Way You Experience the World
Workplace Mental Health Takes Center Stage: A New Priority for the Surgeon General
Putting Your Imagination to Work--Creativity Improves Your Mood, and Your Job!
The Entitled (white, male) Co-Worker...How to Spot em and How to Deal
Own Your Mornings–They Matter More Than You Think!
Overwhelm–Settle Down, Sister!
Friendship at Work--Your Direct Line to Ease, Meaning and Joy!
Rest Requires a Revolution
Goals: The Good, The Bad and the Ugly
State of Women in the Workplace 2022 (thanks LeanIn.Org and McKinsey & Company!)
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