Wearing Makeup at Work: Should it Matter? | NBC Left Field

On average, women spend nearly an hour a day on their appearance. Meanwhile, men are likely spending that time checking work emails or networking to advance their careers. Women are expected to conform to cultural beauty standards and stereotypes demanding that they wear makeup every day, especially in professional settings. Is that sexist? NBC News Signal host and Left Field contributor Simone Boyce explores the toll beauty takes on our daily lives.


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Simone Boyce

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Jodi Savitz

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[mkasimor]

I quit wearing makeup when I graduated from high school many years ago. Fortunately, the hippie movement encouraged it. It occurred to me that at one point in my life a man/huband/lover might have to see me without makeup, and I just felt that it was all a lie about myself and who I really was.

[loppylop]

I stopped wearing makeup all together, and guess what? NO BODY NOTICED OR CARED. I'm saving money and my skin is much healthier.
Women think society tells us to wear makeup, but people really don't care. You just feel like society is "telling you to wear makeup", but in reality you just feel awkward because you are not doing what everyone else is doing.

[Motionless_Puppet]

To be honest, I wish women stop wearing makeup

[CrucibleArms]

False premise. Nobody is requiring women to wear makeup. It's a choice for an empowered woman to make every day.

[mimosa]

The big question is Why does makeup make us women feel "better" about ourselves?

[tangreen]

For pete's sake.

Women pay a huge amount of attention to what society tells them. The same society they have a major hand in sculpting.

Women are very competitive in attracting and selecting mates, obtaining jobs, and climbing the social ladder - makeup, fashion, and wonderbras assist these goals.

If the aim of this video is simply to engage the targeted audience in circular talk that never leads anywhere, it succeeds.

It is unfortunate it did not straightforwardly answer the framed question of " whether or not 'having' to wear makeup is sexist" instead of discovering the answer by examining the core reasons as to why some women choose to wear makeup. Which anyone could have done in one sentence.

[TheLadyDiazepam]

When I was a teenager in Michigan (late 70s-early 80s), an area woman sued her employer because her male superiors gave her a written performance review ordering her to "wear make-up and behave in a more feminine manner." She had a demanding job and was the mother of four children, and retorted that she had more important things on her mind than makeup. Fortunately, times have changed, but the lesson that "your appearance matters" and that letting yourself get frumpy can cost you your livelihood stuck with me. I'm no makeup addict, but I take care of my skin and always wear foundation and a bit of blusher as a bare minimum, and usually lipstick as well.

[tiger]

I've been wearing makeup since middle school. Some of my family members told me I looked fugly . Not ugly but fugly . So I've been wearing it ever since .

[kateherod]

I don’t think it is sexist. We live in an America where now women have the opportunity to do whatever they would like to do with their lives with nothing like sexist laws stopping them. Wearing makeup is a choice you can make. I choose not to. If you choose to that is fine as well. If you feel that right now you are forced to wear makeup to be successful, you aren’t! You have plenty of opportunity! Get out there and do something great with your life <3

[Adam-gjdn]

I think a lot of you missed the point of this piece. It's not a call to women to stop wearing make-up, it's to shine a light on the cost of it (both monetary and temporal) and question why it's a practice at all.

[sophiahu]

Everyone is missing the point. The point is recognizing the underlying pressure within our society for women to look a certain way. Has any woman felt completely beautiful while not shaving her body hair and not wearing makeup? It’s uncomfortable for many women because society creates beauty standards and then profits off of their insecurities when they do not reach said standards.The beauty industry consumes time, money and energy. Is it worth it?

[itskingpakal]

then how about, you stop wearing it? we dont giva a damn if you have it or not, we dont judge its other women who judge each other. A man thinks his girl is beautiful all 24 hours of the day. yall grasping at straws

[JohnSmith-tdhd]

No Honey. Your mom, your sister, your female friends, the makeup industry, and then finally YOU, tell you that you need makeup to BE complete, and 17% of women have figured out the con and make the CHOICE to never buy or apply makeup. Just like men, women are human, and so need to be willing to hold themselves accountable for their own choices without trying to find a scapegoat (men).

[cja]

Make up is a choice. One many women have chosen to accept as their fate to the point that they won't be seen without it. You really can't blame others for your obsessions.

[AnimatedBlast]

I don’t wear make up period, but certainly not for work. It’s work, not a beauty contest. We should focus on doing our jobs and dressing smart, not being ‘sexy’. Wouldn’t wear heels either.

[LionUniverse]

I dont rly wear makeup, just light eye makeup and lipstick for special events. In my country (portugal) most women don't wear makeup everyday either, so I've never felt the pressure to conform to that. I moved to the UK for 2 yrs tho and i Definately felt a slight cultural shock over just how important makeup was to women, and how almost every girl over 13 had some on. The way my new friends felt about it, how many items they Needed, and how much time+money they spent on it, is so strange to me. For me, personally, makeup is not like having armour, it (especially anything i consider 'heavy', like Base) just feels uncomfortable, restricting my expressions and forcing me to go check that it's still ok. I support and appreciate the art and effort behind it, but just hope that the expectations for women in other countries change, so that they can Choose to express themselves however they want.

[blackberrylady]

INever wears loves true beauty....Hollywood doesn't have to shape U, Nor the Business World...WHY NOT CREATE UR OWN BEAUTY...NATURAL BEAUTY IS UR SHEILD...MAKE UP INDUSTRY CREATES UR BEAUTY...

[GL-tmzt]

Yes, HAVING to put on makeup is is sexist. But WANTING is a form of art and empowerment.

[itbelikethatsometimes]

Nobody is making you wear makeup, so how can you call something that you do willingly sexist? That makes no sense

[russelltanner]

A while back, I was angry at my gal for taking so long in the bathroom. So her answer was to give me a couple of "lessons" on eye makeup. mmmm, ok I'm always game for anything.
About after the third time I poked myself in the eye I said enough of this! After that I told her she is beautiful no matter eye make up or not!!!!


So there you go guys, if you think it's so simple to look pretty, give it a shot, hahahahaah...