Beauty and Success
I read a really interesting article last week in The Guardian that discussed the fact that more than 50% of women believe that good looks in the workplace will get you farther along than being knowledgeable in your chosen field. Here is a snip from the article:
I dolled myself up in dinky little skirts, skimpy tops and teetering heels, and developed a nice line in the pouty smile as preparation for interviews with the Men I Must Please. Although it certainly didn’t work on one occasion, when the editor of a local paper noted my over-painted face, white bouclé baby-doll dress and bouffant hair and told me I would do better to present myself as a workmanlike person than a showgirl. He didn’t take me on, but he did leave me wanting to kick him where it would hurt as much as his words hurt me.
But I was lucky; I went on to get good jobs. Yet despite a sense in the lower consciousness that playing the game might get in the way of being taken seriously as a journalist, I felt compelled to flitter and flutter in the office. And that included the time I moved on to the Guardian as a feature writer. One lunchtime I went out and bought a skintight velvet pants suit and wiggled past the desk of a senior executive. He duly made a lunge, I coquettishly pushed him off and he fell off his chair, ending up sprawling on the floor. He had the grace to smile, but I was pretty sure it was not a good career move.
I would be interested to know what you think. Do you think that good looks are more important than knowledge in the workplace? Please answer the poll in the column to the right, and let me know any other thoughts you might have on the subject in the comments.
Technorati Tags: attractive, success, women
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POSTED IN: Beauty News, Beauty Poll, Style
9 opinions for Beauty and Success
Gail Ables
Jan 30, 2006 at 8:19 am
That journalist WAS lucky she landed some good jobs, despite her demeanor. I may be out of touch with reality, but wearing skimpy clothes to the office for “Men She Must Please”? What is she? A cavewoman? Have we not evolved at all?
Looking good for a job interview is important. First impressions mean a lot. But that doesn’t mean you should look “hot”! What if the interviewer was a woman?
Statistics can be misleading, but if 50% thought you could get further by turning heads than by being knowledgeable, I wonder how far they were willing to go? Time for a BEAUTY REVOLUTION!
Christina Jones
Jan 30, 2006 at 8:41 am
Gail, I totally agree with you. I initially started out this post with my own critique of that situation (very much like yours), but ended up losing it in a techno-mishap, so rather than getting flustered again, I left it up to you guys. I also take issue with the point that for her, apparently, looking good in the office equates with acting like a hussy. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
How did that hair job go over the weekend??
Gail Ables
Jan 30, 2006 at 2:09 pm
I hate when that happens, (losing your thoughts technologically) very frustrating.
I’m glad you agree with me about not dressing slutty for work. When I was in high school in the 70’s, if you wore a mini skirt on test days in a certain male chauvinist’s history class, you automatically got an A. I was not above trying that tactic as his class was so boring and I didn’t like to study. That wasn’t very fair to the boys, but they never paid attention to me because I wasn’t prom-queen material (bad skin, flat-chest, frizzy hair, etc.) The short skirt only got the attention of the old pervert…lol. So I took the grade and sat home alone on Saturday nights.
I think the pressure to have “the look” was as strong then as it is now, but it was also a time of being more earthy and natural (at least until disco-fever hit), and that has stuck with me since. I think a lot of women who were insecure then, can afford plastic surgery, botox, collagen, lipo, etc. now that they’re older, but they’re still dealing with their insecurities and the pressure to look a certain way. Not to mention a big fear of aging.
I posted a comment about my hair coloring job under “A Reader’s Question About Hair Color.” It turned out very nice!
Gail
Christina Jones
Jan 30, 2006 at 6:32 pm
Oh Gail, you are so right. It is just another funny way how times change. And funny about your professor too…the jerk. LOL
One more thought on this article too - I believe that in an office, or anyplace really, that looking your best can and should give you a leg up in the sense that if two equally knowledgeable people are up for a promotion (or whatever), that the one who is better groomed, and a more attractive candidate (and therefore a better representative) will get the job. That is the importance of beauty in business, or again, anywhere else.
And I am soooo glad your hair turned out great, and thanks again so much for the nice comments you left, that made me feel so good!!
eBeautyDaily.com » Beauty in the Workplace Poll Results
Feb 6, 2006 at 9:45 am
[…] You might take another look at the post that originally started this poll if this subject is interesting to you- Gail and I shared some more thoughts on the subject - feel free to join in the conversation and let me know what you think! […]
Kim
Feb 7, 2006 at 7:46 am
The journalists piece sounded a little like a scene from Bridgette Jones.
But I will say that office decorum is a slippery slope my friends, especially if you are a supervisor. I once had a young woman who worked for me and I don’t know if she was dense or what, but one day she came to our offices (fortune 500 financial institution, by the way) dressed in a short, white, sleeveless dress…with no bra!
In these days of potential sexual harassment cases, my male colleagues were coming up to me and letting me know how uncomfortable they were having her in the office.
I had to tell her to go home and change!
I always find it amazing that young women don’t have the sense or pride to put together a classy and professional outfit.
just my 2 cents.
Christina Jones
Feb 7, 2006 at 8:00 am
Hey Kim - I thought the very same thing (re: Bridgette Jones). Too funny. Good point about the sexual harrassment cases these days. A woman looking/acting like that is just a pile of trouble in waiting, eh?
Kim
Feb 7, 2006 at 8:20 am
Hi Christine,
Congratulations are in order, correct? Did I not read that you are contributing to an entertainment blog? You are one busy blog-ette!
Anyway, I could go on for hours about the whole beauty/success thing. For the most part it’s a balancing act.
I am of a certain age that when I was a young woman entering the work place…you actually had to wear stockings!
I do not and have never understood the casual work environment…in the sense that some people do not get that balance: I am totally floored by what some people think is proper summertime attire.
I will say, I am also guilty of exercising a bit of predjuice when looks are involved: A young woman once interviewed with me, she had a stain on her sweater and an unfortunate..um..mark/growth near her lip, which she did not try to cover with make-up.
She was qualified, but my mind couldn’t get passed the unsightly mark…I am a horrible person, she did not get hired. I still feel badly to this day.
Christina Jones
Feb 7, 2006 at 8:52 am
Yes, I am a busy blog-ette! Brad Pitt fever is at an all-time high, and I figured I would jump on the entertainment channel bandwagon, as I thought it was really noticibly missing from our lineup - and I LOVE Brad Pitt - it’s a tough job, but someone’s gotta do it! Ha!
As for your comment about not hiring the “unsightly” prospect, it is a fine line, isn’t it? You want to have an attractive representation for your business - and if you thought she was not taking care of herself like she should, then you are probably correct. Again, I don’t think you have to have supermodel looks to be successful, but you do need to care about how you look, and how you appear to others. Even someone that is unattractive naturally can make the effort and look like they care rather than look like they have “given up.”
Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Kim!
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