No, I will not wear makeup at work!

[geniph]

I know there are people who think I'm somehow odd for not smearing crap on my face before I go to work - I'm a professional in an office environment, and it seems that people STILL think a woman without lipstick is somehow suspect. My stock answer, when people delicately question why I don't, is that I'll start wearing makeup to work when my male colleagues are required to do so.

Do you work in an environment where makeup, heels, crap like that is considered de rigueur? Am I the only one who's horribly resistant to it? I have to wear makeup on stage (in my spare time, I like to act in community theatre), so I have NO interest in wearing it offstage, plus I really don't want to take the extra time in the morning. But apparently not wearing makeup for a woman is like a man coming to work in a dress.

:mad:

[Nikia]

1. Luckily, I have not worked in such an environment

At my current place of employment, I work in a manufacturing facility that requires uniforms, hair nets, no jewelry, no nail polish, and safe shoes. Many of the women wear make up though.
I choose not to wear make up anymore after trying wearing it for a while. I work for a misogynistic company where I am the highest paid, highest positioned woman who works outside the office at that plant. Wearing make up seemed to draw more attention to the fact that I was a young female. There were some people who treated me differently in a way that was not positive for my work.
On a related note, before my current job, I had a temp agency at a major company working as a research and development tech. The dress code was business casual. I observed that all the female engineers and scientists wore pants and flats while most of the female office people wore dresses and heels. While some of the scientists wore make up, many did not. I wonder if that is what they were most comfortable with or like me in my current position, whether they noticed a disadvantage by drawing attention to their difference.
As far as being suspect at my job for not wearing make up, I am already suspect anyway for a few reasons that have nothing to do with wearing make up.
I suppose that things might be different in an office environment. Do men and women tend to do different things at your office? Do you think that make up and other feminine clothes and accessories are symbolism of lower status?

[Hello_Kitty]

2. How incredibly rude of people

I cannot believe your co-workers would have the audacity to question you about that. Well, actually I can. I've worked in a fairly large facility for about 8 years now and have had the joy of experiencing unsolicited comments about my appearance on numerous occasions. "Is that your natural haircolor?" is a favorite one. Umm...if you're not sure, assume it is and don't ask you ill-bred moron. And when I lost 30 lbs. about 5 years ago I really got it in spades. "Wow!! You've lost a TON of weight!!" This comment was delivered in a very loud voice by a guy I barely knew, as his eyes moved up and down my body like I was livestock he was assesssing. In the cafeteria. During lunch hour. I can't tell you how much I enjoyed it when at least a dozen other men's heads snapped around so they too could assess my leaner form. But, oh yeah, I was supposed to feel complimented by that :sarcasm:

Ok, where was I? Oh, the makeup. Fuck that shit. I only wear makeup when I want to. Actually at my job I can't because it's a clean room. It kind of sucks being forbidden to wear it but there's a good reason so it doesn't make me angry. It WOULD be infuriating to be expected to wear it on the job. I don't know if you remember a few years ago when one of the airlines required all female employees to wear makeup. I don't know if they specified what kind or how much but it was mandatory. Even women who worked on the flight deck were expected to comply. Which is absurd. When you're seated on the plane, can you tell if the woman throwing luggage out on the tarmac has lipstick on or not? Honest to God.

You oughtta show up for work one day with a full clownface. Big red rubber nose and everything.

"What? You said I should wear makeup. I'm wearing makeup. What's the problem?"

[lukasahero]

3. Actually, I think I've gotten my last two jobs because I didn't

show up for the interview wearing make-up. :)

I work in IT with mostly guys and very few of the women wear make-up. I worked in a financial services company and didn't wear make-up there either but was definitely in the minority.

If anyone ever had the gaul to question me about it, I'd simply ask them how old they think I am. When they answer 10 - 15 years younger than I am (which they will INEVITABLY do), I will tell them they have their answer. :)

Don't let the morans (sic) get you down. ;)

[Warpy]

4. Thank goodness that when the hippie years ended

(and yes, if they wanted to hire women, they were grateful if they didn't wear face paint and have nose rings), I worked selling health foods and then as a nurse. Some nurses tried wearing makeup to work. They looked far worse than the rest of us at the end of a 12 hour shift, so it didn't last long.

I consider myself very fortunate to have a life timed not only to a lack of glop on my face (and I hate the feel of it), but also to comfortable shoes.

I've only been interviewed for one of those jobs that requred women to look like drag queens. I'm happy to say they went bankrupt within six months of turning me down.

[MuseRider]

14. Nursing shoes spoiled me forever.

I have never been able to wear heels since, ahhhh the comfort of flat shoes.

[Warpy]

15. Nursing shoes were awful

and I quickly discovered running shoes gave me more support and fewer backaches. I was one of the first to start wearing them, much to administrative ire. I developed a line that stood up well over the next 20 years.

"Sure I can go home and change, be glad to! I'll be back in three hours or so."

[OldLeftieLawyer]

5. I've never worn makeup

The idea of foundation or powder or anything blocking my skin has never appealed to me, so I've never worn it. My mother - who was a very beautiful woman - never wore any, either.

On the other hand, my sister always looked like she was ready for her next photo shoot. Go figure.

I am aghast at the gall of people questioning you about your personal choices re makeup. Dolts, all of them. They clearly have the sensitivity of boots, and the manners of goats.

Odds are you make them nervous, since I've always regarded women who wear a lot of makeup as insecure and covering up what they perceive as their inadequacies. Your naked face is a real affront to their need to disguise their real selves.

Think about the language: "make up" - as if the woman will erase who she is and become a fictional character.

Yeah, that fits my definition.

Oh, and for the record, I've got the skin of someone half my age. If I do say so myself, it's really beautiful, and my dermalologist best friend says it's from not slapping chemicals and irritants on my face for all these years.

:::: ahem ::::

Aw, screw 'em, and keep making them nervous. Good for you.

[Book Lover]

13. Exactly - covering all your pores with several layers of colored powder

is not a prudent long-term skin care policy.

My mother always bugged me to wear "a little something" no matter how often I told her how much like a fake it made me feel. Luckily, she dropped it after a few years, but that didn't stop her and my sister from commanding me to wear some for my sister's second wedding. Yes, I caved for the day, but the pictures only prove my point that I look like a clown with "traditional" makeup on.

[politicat]

6. Never been required to or forbidden to wear it... but I do wear basics.

Don't kill me, please. I have good reasons.

I'm extremely fair-skinned - I can, and have, gotten a sunburn through tinted auto glass (and considering that something like 80% of UVA and nearly 100% of UVB is blocked by glass alone, that's saying something). I can wear sunscreen from the neck down (and do!! I practically bathe in the stuff!), but I can't tolerate it on my face and especially near my eyes. I'm sensitive to 3 of the 4 chemicals that are in US sunblocks, and the one to which I'm not sensitive (and by sensitive I mean pimples like boils, painful chafey-burny areas, and just general EEK!) is titanium dioxide.

There are several commercial sunblocks that use TiO2, but all of them also use one of the other 3 evils. However... cosmetics use TiO2 without the other chemicals, and still have a block rating of 45 or so. So that's my choice. I also use a lip protector from whole foods that has a sunblock in the base, and comes in tints - the rose one is about the same as my natural lip color, so that's the one I tend to get (I really don't like the scent/flavor of the untinted ones - the tinted ones have I think mint in the base while the untinted smells like cod liver oil). The only frivolous makeup I wear is mascara, and being a red-head with invisible eye lashes, I look like I've been burned if I don't wear it.

Most people don't even realize I wear it, and I would never expect anyone to wear or not - I think makeup falls into personal adornment the way piercings, tattoos and other body modifications do. I don't care what anyone wears in their ears, on their faces, etc.

And I do think men have an equivalent - shaving. Full beards in the workplace are not acceptable in a lot of environments; daily shaving is fairly unpleasant from what I've gathered from the men I've shared residences with. Shaving takes about the same amount of time, causes many of the same types of skin disorders, is inherently unnatural and really serves little purpose in most work environments (save food handling, certain manufacturing, and fire-fighting.)

As for clothes: I wear pants, long skirts, cotton tights, and low heeled shoes exclusively. I don't mind skirts, especially in the winter when they're warmer than pants (the physics of airpockets, I guess). I haven't worn a shoe with a heel higher than 2 inches since my wedding day, (4 years ago) or lower than a half-inch, save for my athletic shoes, due to various incongruities in my feet and legs. I dress for comfort, not fashion, mostly. But I have also always worked in the West, where business casual is normal, even in a Senator's office or at a bank. So I may just be lucky.

[funflower]

16. No need to explain yourself. It's fine to wear make-up! What's NOT fine

is forcing others to do so. My daughter is a charming pre-teen with pink cheeks and long, dark lashes - and she's the ONLY one of her peer group who doesn't wear make-up! She says it "feels weird" and absolutely refuses to wear it. And (scary) the boys already follow her around like lemmings!

[politicat]

19. Good for her!

As for the boys following her around... Now's a good time to get a basic class in self defense under her belt.

My step daughter needed such a class in 6th grade. (Too bad she wanted guitar lessons instead of Tae Kwon Do in 5th grade....)

[WildClarySage]

7. I like wearing makeup and dressing 'girly' but I also

like the flexibility of not feeling any need to do so. Its my choice and that's the way it should be. Nobody dare second guess whether or not I do so, except my dh who is so nice in all the really important ways that I let him tell me that I don't need makeup to be pretty. =)

[Katherine Brengle]

24. Exactly--

I like to wear makeup when I leave the house (I am a stay at home mom and I do all of my writing from home, so I don't have to go to "work" so-to-speak), but I do not feel obligated to do so.

I do it because I like to feel "pretty." For ME, not for anyone else. Same reason I pick my clothes out carefully (not particularly girlie clothes, just good ones), comb my hair, and try not to bite my nails, lol.

When I was working full time, I would throw on a little waterproof mascara bc my eyelashes are blonde and they bug me, but other than that it was chapstick and au natural all the way.

[Samurai_Writer]

8. The one thing I love about moving to Boulder

Nobody wears makeup here in the office, or much of anywhere else. It's a birkenstock, jeans and sweater, no-fuss hair type of world here. It's awesome!

[bloom]

9. I don't wear it either

and the more you read about weird crap they put in make-up that goes largely unregulated (unlike in Europe) - I'm glad I've never been in the habit.

There are some occasions I might use powder - but that's getting going all out for me.


(And I don't think men should feel like they have to shave, either - what's the point of that?.)

[Hello_Kitty]

10. Lipstick and mascara is usually it for me, when I feel like it.

Frankly, those are the only items that even make a real difference in my appearance. And powder too, if I'm feeling oily. All that other stuff is snake oil.

[Maat]

11. I'm 47 and I've hardly ever worn it.

I'll occasionally feel like it, but, even then, it is relatively toned down.

And, even though I've been with the same guy for 30 years, 23 of them married, I haven't worn my wedding ring for about 15 of them, because rings really irritate my fingers.

For some odd reason, people avoid bothering me about it (I hope it's not my nice little submissive attitude that gets in the way - just kidding).

I say, "You got to please yourself." Do what makes you happy. We support you wholeheartedly.

Encouraging energy headed your way.


:grouphug:

[ismnotwasm]

12. I don't work in such an environment

I'm a nurse, and I don't wear makeup to work---well, a little lipgloss. But I've seen nurses with full on face make up which I don't understand.

I'm still traumatized by the 80's when the magazines had you wearing 5 shades of eyeshadow with eyeliner,and 3 shades of blush, lip-liner from hell and something eye-blinding on your lips to fill them it. I have to admit I indulged back then. Blech. I stopped wearing makeup when I realized I felt plain, and even ugly without it.

A little make-up now and again can be fun. I like the art of self-decoration, but I don't like the expectation that a woman should wear make-up, jewelry, perfume, big diamond engagement rings-- any of that shit. It's a personal choice. (I have 10 earring holes--left overs from my youth. I still wear the earrings) My wish is that is was an occasional alternative, not a requirement or expectation.
Especially when I see young girls or women, who need none of that cover-up crap on their faces- (not that older women do either, but they are actually trying to cover something that exists-- aging-- not that it works)-- all sponged and powdered. Eye decoration I don't mind so much on them, but they seem totally indoctrinated.
And I like your "stock" answer. That about sums it up. I can't believe people ask you that, but I work in a different field. (In fact, If I was THAT rude, I would my co-workers why they DO!)

[Triana]

17. I wear very little and resent that...

...but it's my choice. I say I resent it 'cause I just personally don't like my own 'features' (ie: lack thereof) so I wear a little (very little).

But - no one is chiding me about it at all (anymore). Luckily I work in an environment where the women are not 'fluffy' or expected to wear heels (pulleeeze!), pantyhose (arrrgh I hate those godawful things!), dresses (something else I can't stand) or makeup. I have been chided for WEARING it, instead, actually!

Years ago, in another job, someone commented that "she looks like a tomboy and would be really pretty if she wore a little makeup and fixed up her hair" or some such crap. I was NOT in a job where that was required, much less advised but that was the comment the sexist pig made. What a prick.

Since then, I resist wearing much - I LIKE my tomboy look, thankyouverymuch. And my skin is v.sensitive so more than a little makeup causes it to revolt - built-in safeguard.

Time is another factor. I REFUSE to spend much time on hair or makeup unless I'm going to a party or out - but on a daily basis - no way. I'd rather get the extra sleep!

Piss on 'em, dearie. Don't waste your time. That shiite has chemicals and all sorts of crap in it that isn't even good for you. Your time and energy is better spent on something else. I like your comeback. Stick to your un-made-up guns!

[atommom]

18. I don't wear much, either.

Mainly foundation, for the sunscreen, and sometimes lipstick. Most of the women I've known who have been in scientific or technical fields have not really been into makeup either. I think it's partly because we're less interested in following the "female" trends. I can't really think of many biologists, chemists or computer scientists with painted faces, honestly. Maybe men treat us better as a result, but IMO that's just a side-effect.

[Mad_Dem_X]

20. I've never liked wearing makeup

I'm 39, work as a receptionist, and the only thing I put on my face is a little powder to tone down the shine. I wore makeup on my wedding day but I never wear it at work. No one has said anything to me about it in the 2 years I've been here.

My sister, who's 37, almost always has to wear makeup. I used to tease her when we were younger for "putting on her face" to go grocery shopping or to the movies. :)

[we can do it]

21. I Am Proud of You -

I used to work in a corporate environment - and I also refused to waste the time & money to get made up like bozo the clown.

[eridani]

22. Very strange for someone doing computer work

I had heard that geeks were supposed to have some slack in that regard. I work in a laboratory, and my co-workers analyzing volatile chemicals prefer that people don't wear scented anything because the background noise can screw up their baselines. Other than that, nobody makes a big deal out of makeup.

[elshiva]

23. YOU GO! I hate makeup. Be yourself.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

25. High school student here---

I hate make-up. What a fucking waste of my precious time. I've worn it before to dances, etc., and it was all right then, but for everyday behavior? Fuck, no.