Do Women Who Wear Makeup to Work Make More Money?

I just got the latest issue of Marie Claire with Christina Aguilera on the cover, and I wanted to share with you a little tidbit (though I know it will be a tad controversial) on page 84:

Women who wear makeup earn up to 30 percent more than those who "cant be bothered," according to a study in the American Economic Review.

This is a direct quote from the magazine. I found this interesting, especially in light of my blog post last week about Men and Makeup, and some conversations on The Nest where we've talked about wearing makeup and nice clothes and the correlation to professionalism. I think you can probably figure out what my opinion is on this.

Again, I have to make the distinction here between "makeup that enhances" and "makeup that masks/is overdone." No one looks good with caked-on overdone makeup, especially in the workplace.

I would consider a woman who came to work with her skin even, some mascara and lip gloss to have put effort into her appearance. I want to be clear that I don't qualify "making an effort" or "being polished" as a full face of makeup, and nothing less.

I think every woman could benefit from a little bit of makeup. There are very few women I know that can go completely bare-faced and still look polished. Skin tone unevenness, blemishes, under eye circles, very pale lashes, etc...can all cause someone to look tired, washed out, etc. If you have perfect skin and look awake and awesome with no makeup, more power to you and God bless your genetics!

Using a bit of makeup to even things out and make eyes look open and bright isn't a bad thing to me. Especially if it can be done in 5-10 minutes and make such a dramatic (and positive) difference in your apperance.

Do I think women who wear makeup should make more money? Absolutely not. People should make money based on their skills, knowledge, talent, ability to excel at their job...but do I think women who dress nicely and style their hair and use makeup to enhance their looks are perceived in a different way? Absolutely.

You may disagree, and that's ok. I guess I'm just of the belief that the way you present yourself in the professional world matters and says a lot about you.

Have you ever heard the expression "dress for the job you want, not the job you have?" I think it's important to show your company and your superirors that you care about your image and how you represent the company.

I don't think anyone appreciates someone coming to work looking like a slob. Am I saying you can't possibly look polished without some makeup on? No. But I've seen people who looked like they rolled out of bed and came to work, and it just makes me think they don't care about looking professional.

If a woman came to work with no makeup on, but her hair was neat and she was wearing appropriate, professional clothing, of course I wouldn't think anything of the fact that she didn't have a stick of makeup on...in fact, I would admire her for being able to pull it off.

What do you think? Are you surprised by the statistic from the Marie Claire article? Do you wear makeup to work? Do you think it matters how someone presents themself at work and in the professional world? Let me know in the comments below.

xoxo,

Veronika.