Of all the things that a boss can ask of their employees—to do your work well and on time, to stick to the company rules, and to always be professional—one of the oddest moments is when they ask you to wear makeup at work. You know, to “look more professional,” even if you’re doing an amazing job as it is. These situations are awkward at best and can impact the future of your career at worst.
Bored Panda has collected a list of stories of employees sharing how their bosses and managers tried to force them to wear makeup while on the job. Have a read through them below and be sure to let us know what you thought of them, dear Pandas. Got any similar stories to share with everyone? You can go into detail about them in the comments.
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I like wearing makeup and playing around with color at home and for some occasions. I do not wear makeup at work, because wearing it all day makes my skin break out. A manager at my first job told me I would look prettier with makeup and it was required in the employee handbook so I told him when my male colleagues hit my sales numbers and he showed me that section of the handbook I would do so. Spoiler: it wasn’t in there and I continued to have the highest sales in my district while *gasp* barefaced.
I told my employer this at a retail job I worked at in college!!! I have extremely sensitive skin too; makeup makes me break out in an aggressively itchy rash. My boss/the owner told me I had to wear makeup so I found some brands online I thought my skin would theoretically be able to handle and said, “Ok, if you buy this stuff for me, I’ll gladly wear it!” I think the total for mascara, lipstick, eyeshadow, and blush came out to something like $300. She didn’t bring it up again.
The beauty industry is absolutely massive. It grew from 483 billion dollars in 2020 to a whopping 511 billion dollars in 2021. And the growth isn’t likely to stop any time soon. The industry is set to exceed 716 billion dollars in worth by 2025 and 784.6 billion dollars in 2027.
Meanwhile, the worth of the natural cosmetics industry is set to increase to 54.4 billion dollars by 2027, as more and more consumers opt for natural and organic products. Though, to be fair, whether or not the products themselves are actually 'natural' or 'organic' is up for debate. Some companies use these labels as a marketing trick to make their products more sought after. Meanwhile, others do their best to provide exactly what's on the label based on existing regulations. It's up to the individual customer to determine whether they're actually buying what they think they are.
Lol. One of my first jobs required me to wear makeup. But the thing is, they can't really prove you aren't wearing it. So the conversation went something like this...
"Lil-Maece, you have to wear makeup for this job."
"I am wearing makeup."
"Oh, umm, right, yes of course, carry on."
I once lost a job because I don't wear makeup. It was a job at a garden centre. Basically they were super sexist and only hired women to work cash. They wanted us to look hot and be flirty. Which is ridiculous. I refuse to dress up to haul around bags of dirt. I worked there for a few weeks but then slowly my hours were given to other girls/women (I was 18 at the time). And so I had to find other work. F**king bulls**t society.
Earlier, I had a chat about beauty trends with historian Dr. Jane Nicholas from St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. She told Bored Panda that the beauty industry grows and changes all the time.
For instance, the desire to look more natural is a popular trend that comes and goes. In the future, it’ll be replaced by something else and, eventually, things will come full circle and natural beauty will be the trendy thing again.
Had one higher-up mention in a meeting that she expected to see all female employees looking more “done up” meaning makeup, nails, jewelry. I had worn makeup to work every day for 10 years. The next day I didn’t, and neither did about 80% of the women I worked with. Some other bosses talked her out if it but I’ve worn makeup to work a handful of times in the 5 years since then.
Oo yes- I have been specifically asked to wear makeup in front of my male and female coworkers when I was wearing very little, they suggested eyeshadow and blush etc... this was at a bowling alley no one gave a [damn] if I had makeup on! And one of my male coworkers did stand up for me and say that’s bulls**t- she’s beautiful as is! He got fired really fast after that, and then I did too lol.
"The move toward ‘naturalness’ comes and goes and you can trace it throughout the last century or so," Dr. Nicholas said.
"Perhaps though we shouldn’t confuse looking natural with actual naturalness. Skincare, for example, focuses on perfect skin that is poreless, hairless, and filtered to give a youthful, creamy glow, but still looks like real skin. The thing is real skin has blemishes, pores, and imperfections. The new natural is an image of natural that few, if any of us, can actually live up to," the historian explained to Bored Panda.
Worked as a teller once upon a time. Coworker had very difficult skin and struggled with keeping her face clear, no matter what she used. When she was in a big breakout, she really just had to not use makeup so it would clear up and heal. Boss told her that she had to wear makeup then. I mean she had to put layers and layers to cover it up, and it would just make it worse. I think she had to end up taking it to HR but it was humiliating for her to have the struggle, much less be called out on it like that.
I used to be a cashier at a cafe where a manager once said to me that I should start wearing makeup to work. I told him I had all the supplies in my purse, and that I would be happy to apply a full face of makeup in the break room right that moment if he was willing to pay me while I did it. He declined my offer and never made another comment about my appearance.
Whoa! I literally JUST made a post regarding this matter! -Lol! "I love it when great minds think alike!"
"Being on-screen helps with the ability to control lighting and use filters. A silly photo or one that looks unposed and spontaneous adds a sense of charming realness and briefly interrupts the highly curated images to help make them relatable," she said that there are ways to make the photos that we upload to social media seem more natural and, possibly, more relatable for our friends, fans, and followers.
I work as a hostess and usually put on a decent amount of makeup due to my own insecurities. One shift I knew wasn't going to be busy since it was a wednesday lunch shift, I decided hell i'm too tired to care and only put on concealer and mascara. I showed up to work with people asking me if I was okay, I looked ill. When I said know I just put on less makeup, my manager SENT ME HOME to DO MY MAKEUP APROPRIATELY. i was so mad yall
I showed up with the darkest, strongest makeup out of spite.
They liked it...
Worked at a former place that required makeup, so the women at work submitted an expense report for Mac, one of the most expensive makeup companies out there. The employee manual was revised shortly thereafter as "must appear clean and managed: facial hair trimmed, skin kept clean and healthy."
I had a boss once who I think was telling me I should wear makeup, he kept saying I should look at the other women in the office and see what they wore when I asked what he meant by ' looking more professional'. I was the only woman on my team, and generally more dressed up than the men on it. And I can't wear makeup and do my job. If I'm wearing it that's all I think about. I hate having anything on my face, even water.
If he is too embarrassed to verbalize what he wants then you KNOW it is inappropriate for him to be asking for it.
Yes, and it's very satisfying to make them spell it out.
Load More Replies...Sounds like by 'look more professional' what he meant was 'look more like someone I want to think about when I go for my lunch break hand shandy'.
That's when you tell your boss that the men should start wearing makeup to work, too.
Men who think this way should be made to wear makeup for a whole day. My only experience was wear stage makeup but I was aware of it the entire 2-3 hours a night I had to wear it.
I work in an field that is predominately dudes. I’d abide by the dress code, which really just asked us to wear logo’d shirts. I had one admin ask me once to start tucking in my shirt. I told him that the day he gets this other coworker to tuck in his shirt, so would I. That dude is a 6ft.+ former football player that all around had a tough guy vibe—or at least would’ve been very vocal. Never heard about it again.
A few short years later, another manager, this one my direct boss, said that people would take me more professionally if I wore makeup to work. I’m the only woman in my occupation at that time, at that place. I don’t wear it because I just don’t want to. The few times I have during the pandemic, I’ve managed to get it in my eyes and cloud up my contacts and yeah. So, nope. I told that boss that he didn’t make that request of literally any of my other colleagues in my field (makeup is needed for a different department, based on what they specifically do, for both men and women) and that if they don’t need it to be considered professional, neither do I.
My friend was the principal at a catholic elementary school, and whoever the [hell] her boss was told her the same thing. She was crushing it on her performance review, doing amazing things with the school, winning awards and [stuff], and then they tried to tell her she needed to wear makeup so she would look professional. That was their one criticism of her and her work. My friend hates makeup; she's never worn it. Plus her skin is really sensitive, so I suspect she'd have a problem doing so. She's also naturally very pretty. Like beautiful. She doesn't need it. But somehow being beautiful and really, really good at her job wasn't enough. Couldn't she make herself just a scosh hotter? Then maybe she could finally be taken seriously, I guess.
She basically told them, "Yeah, I'm not doing that."
I don't think people like Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates or Warren Buffet are conventionally beautiful or would be considered sexy, yet they are deemed to be successful. Imagine how far they could make it with a little concealer.
I left a certain coffee company (for a multitude of reasons) but one was that my long due, hard earned promotion was “delayed” because I, too, didn’t dress “professionally.” Sorry I’m not waking up at 3 am so I can put mascara on and get covered in sticky syrup for 8 hours on basically minimum wage.
Now I’m in a much better paying office job that doesn’t really care what I do, as long as I DRESS professionally. And that’s what I do. :)
I had a boss say something about it would be better if I had make up on. I was just like no it wouldn’t and laughed. It just dawned on me now 20 years later he was probably serious! Still laughing.
When I was 16 in my first job (I worked in a clothes store in the UK called Next) I was screamed at by the female store manager for not wearing make up because it was unprofessional and I looked tired. Which wouldn’t do for customers obviously. This was no where in the handbook for staff and I had been off sick the day before so applying make up was the last thing in my mind. Getting though the shift was. It was awful and done on the shop floor.
The irony of it all was I worked there just over a year and I NEVER once saw her wearing make up.
I don't wear makeup because I can't. Almost all products make me break out in hives. I had a similar issue with an old fashioned Good ol' boy type boss (older dude who literally only hired BLONDES until he took on a younger partner who showed him that this is a good way to get sued) who told me that 'anything less than fully made up was unprofessional.. and just downright not pretty." (He also made comments later in the day about that why I didn't have a husband yet and had to go out and work.. I was 22)
I told the younger partner what he said and he just shook his head and said, "I'll talk to him." Apparently he went to the good ol' boy and said, "Look.. you can either have her looking like she's got poison ivy on her face, which I would think would be far more off putting than no makeup.. or you can ignore the fact that she's not made up to *your* standards. This isn't a hygiene issue and we've got no legal leg to stand on.. and quite a few that could get knocked out under us if you push this and she decides you've gone too far." He left me alone after that, and was a bit chagrined when the 2 other office ladies decided they didn't want to be 1000% made up every day, either.
If she gives you a hard time tell her you have sensitive skin and even the so-called 'hypoallergenic' products give you rashes and epic breakouts. If she wants to give you a hard time after THAT, thinking that you'll look like you've got poison ivy on your face.. she doesn't give a darn about your well being and I would run, not walk. If that position is available in another company, I'd go there.. but not without double checking their dress code prior to accepting an offer.
My first job was when I was 18. I had just got my CNA license and started working in a medical office. My boss pulled me aside one day and said he had been getting negative comments from patients about me. I asked what had been said and he told me they thought I looked too young to be working there. He told me that I needed to put on some mascara or other makeup when I come to work.
I was young and didn’t really think I could say no, so I started to spend my meager paycheck on makeup because I was worried I would get fired.
Not too long ago a trainee doctor came to chat with me in my doctors, she looked around 16. If people look young then no amount of Polyfilla will make them look older.
Just wanted to say I have had this happen before in a much lower profession (childcare). The director told me I looked like I was hung over and when I asked for clarification because I definitely hadn't been drinking the night before, she said I needed to wear make up from then on out to look prettier for the families... I told her I was allergic to all makeup just to make her feel awkward.
Needless to say I refused to wear makeup because I hate it as well, my job was never in jeopardy because it was literally not listed anywhere in the employee handbook that make up was required. So I would check your employee handbook and see if makeup is listed as a requirement for women and if not, your boss has no ground to stand on.
And yes, I agree, it is nuts that some people still feel they can tell women they HAVE to wear makeup. To each their own, but it shouldn't be a requirement.
I worked in the office of a storage place, where my clientele was quite often homeless and addicted people. Yet I was expected to plaster on some makeup every day to present that corporate image. I did mascara and chap stick only and got away with that. I still resent it. I hope that they someday must grapple with the HR conundrum of do they or do they not tell a man who likes wearing makeup that he cannot.
I have the same aversion to make up. Can't stand it on my face or eyes. Can't even stand perfume. I usually say I'm allergic. Just because I became tired of having to explain myself.
I was told the same when i worked at TUI a travel company. I can't wear most make up because of a serious skin allergy. I couldn't believe what i was hearing. Sorry we still have to deal with all this [stuff] in 2021
Worked at a trendy (douchy) restaurant in downtown Toronto. We HAD to wear makeup to work, and we had to wear heels (3 inch minimum), you could only switch to flats if you were working a double, at the end of your first shift. We also had to wear short black dresses made of a thick spandex material. As much as I hated it, the tips were ridiculously good and I needed the money. One day, a tray of polished glasses slipped out of this server's hand and she was sweeping the mess, so I went to help her out. This patron came up to us and expressed how uncomfortable she felt watching us sweep the floors in our heels and short dresses, turns out she worked for the labour board. She asked how we felt about it, we expressed how much we hated it but, rules were rules (this was a decade ago). I don't know if she had anything to do with it, but I'd say about 6 months after, the policy changed. Pants were allowed. Heels were optional. Still busy as hell, but way more comfortable.
I’ve had this happen to me before. I put on eyeliner and cherry chapstick and it stopped. Minimum effort (but still annoying) and the problem went away. It sucks that she said something, but if you like the job and the money, it’s easier than fighting the system.
Chapstick - number of times I have had my lipstick complimented when it was only Chapstick, many did not believe me when told.
I was the only female in the team of eight and was told that because I was interacting with customers, that I should wear a full face of makeup. None of my male co workers were asked to wear makeup despite us all doing the same job. I came into work the next day with a full clown makeup. Management were not amused. My co workers fell about laughing. I was not asked to wear full makeup again.
Men for work: appropriate clothing, can be reworn unless smelly. Shave daily unless facial hair is allowed. Cost of upkeep: $100 month if dry cleaning is needed. For women, same cost for clothes and shaving. Pantyhose, makeup, nail and hair salon: $500 per month. But women earn less than men. It's a trap!
And it's not just the money, think of all the time women have to spend on their appearance outside of their work that their not being paid for
Load More Replies...Someone requesting me to wear makeup? I'm very sorry, but even if I do my very best, they have a good chance to get a panda
I love medicine. We're told NOT to wear it, for preference:-) You can if you don't work with patients, but if you touch people? No on the make-up. No fancy fingernails. You just can't afford that stuff in the way, flaking off, or whatever. And jewelry? Yikes. No dangling things! No spiking-scratching things! .... much less pressure than office environments, is my guess.
I had absolutely no idea that an employer can legally require employees to wear make-up. … I just looked it up and it turns out they can’t in my country, whew.
What someone can "legally require", and what someone tells you to do are two different things. You could challenge them, but do you really have the time and money to take this to court?
Load More Replies...If you are customer-facing I can see an argument that blemishes might need to be covered (for both men and women), because human beings are fickle and shallow creatures and you are part of advertising their brand (this is usually why facial hair must be trimmed is also a requirement). Full face makeup? Not unless you're on TV. A back office where your only customers are internal? Yeah, this is a request from a boss who just wants eye candy.
Totally sexist bullshit. Makes my stomach churn. I could get away with not wearing makeup at my current job, but I do so for my own sense of self esteem. I go for a natural look though. It's crazy how most the men here just look like potatoes in tee-shirts. I dress more professionally than them too, lol.
I've had one of those jobs. We worked in a back office doing pure admin on a different building from the shop front, never seen any clients, still the _women_ must wear full make up, and retouch lipstick after eating lunch. The men could turn up with a face smeared with dog crap if the felt like it and it'd be be perfectly fine "as we don't see public"
Funny thing is, I have always worn a light layer of concealer and mineral makeup at work—-just enough to cover dark circles and blemishes, and to even out my skin tone. I learned to apply makeup back when the whole point was to make yourself look like you don’t need to wear makeup at all. So people think I don’t wear any, and are genuinely surprised to learn I do—-and that I have some on at that moment.
Yep. I like wearing a little natural-looking makeup. The whole thing takes me just a couple of minutes. I don't spend a lot on it since I wear the same handful of products all the time. I have super sensitive skin and have found things that don't irritate me. I do object to it being required of people, though. I wear it because I like it. It's actually less common in software engineering, which is a very casual dress code. Most women I work with don't wear make up. I've actually wondered if it counts against me a bit that I do. I also like dresses, which are not common in my workplace. Though not heels. Those can die in a fire. I spent years dressing in jeans and t-shirts to blend in at work. I finally said screw it and I dress how I like now.
Load More Replies...I had major fights with a previous boss that was pushing me to wear mascara! I was never without make up and lipstick (because i liked it and not because of the rule) but she insisted i should wear mascara, even though i had allergies and my eyes were itchy and red!!! I'm remembering now this paranoia and want to scream!!!
There was a time I would go to the VA for mental health visits. For men, being clean and shaven was noted, and exactly what all patients wore was carefully noted. For women, no makeup was considered a marker for depression. Not anymore, though, they were learning that no makeup just meant no makeup.
I am a woman who LOVES makeup. I am from NJ and was raised to think it was just part of being a woman(I'm 60.) But I can't even imagine that a boss would think they can tell women this crap in this day and age! I have put up with sooo much BS over the years from bosses and co-workers. getting hit on constantly when I was young, having ideas stolen by men, not being taken seriously, getting paid a lot less for the same jobs. I can't stand that this is still happening to women now. It makes my blood boil. Just b/c I like it, I don't expect anyone else to.
I'm with ya. It's just insane. And as a working gal in her late 30s I can tell ya a lot of that same BS still does go on, depending on what field you work in.
Load More Replies...Ridiculous. I never wear makeup. I see it as a waste of time and money. If I need to decorate my face for you, then you need to pay for it (including the artist who decorates it, because I sure as hell won't do it).
It's weird, because from my experiences talking to people I know, most people think the natural look is better, whereas this post seems to show some people think they can demand the "applied with a trowel" look from their staff
My wife works at a place where she is required to wear makeup and would be sent home if she turned up without.
If an employer demands that of female employees but not men doing the same job, then the women should be able to submit expense forms for the cost of it. It really adds up.
Load More Replies...In boot camp for the Marines, we had to wear "lips and eyes" at the very minimum. Foundation was not part of the classes we had in the 80s, lol. Perfumed lipsticks of the day broke out my lips. I got a "no lip chit", a paper saying I had a medical reason to not wear lipstick. After boot, we were only required to wear makeup when in certain uniforms. Every place I was stationed, my uniform was camos, so I didn't wear any. Very rarely wore it after that, no one ever said anything. I wear it infrequently now that I'm retired. I like it sometimes...
What the holy hell? You're a Marine and you had to wear makeup in boot camp? Thats messed up. How does wearing makeup help you learn how to kick ass? Some things just dont make sense...
Load More Replies...With all the non-binary developments around us, why is make up still an issue? You can always say you are non-binary and make it a political issue.
I was the admin lead in an office with 8 other admins under me. I work my business casual outfits as per office dress code. I got told one day by my newest boss (ironically the first local boss, otherwise it was all VPs out of the head office in Milan that I reported to…the Milan bosses were known for hiring women based off of looks and not abilities but they all loved me. A few made comments like “if only I was 10 years younger” so I know they had zero issues with my looks lol) hat I need to start dressing up more and wearing dress-suits and out some makeup on. It’s more professional. I said I’m following dress code and makeup is NOT part of this job nor will it improve my work abilities in any way. He told me to not take him wrong, I’m a good looking girl, but I need to dress for the job I want and not the job I have and he feels like I could easily take on way better jobs and move up a lot within the company if I started wearing dress-suits and makeup. I asked him again, how wearing
Dress-suits or skirts and makeup will make me better at this or any job and he stammered. I then asked him if he would say the same to one of the female project managers who doesn’t wear either. Or two of our department managers that are female and don’t wear either and he told me I am excused to go finish my work. F@ck this misogynistic bullish!t. Jobs I can understand makeup being a requirement are: Actor/actress Model Makeup artist Now I work industrial construction. I would love to hear one of my bosses say suck a bullsh!t thing LOL although for entertainment I might just put in the worst makeup job ever…like make it look like a 2yo did it and show up and be like what? U wanted makeup 🤷🏼♀️ hahaha
Load More Replies...I have never worn make -up (except for lipstick and a touch of eyeshadoewwhen I was very young,) I had the sort of complexion that make-up is supposed to make you look like. Lipstick made my lips split and peel (LOVEY!!!) Cosmetics and perfumes make me itch, sneeze and generally feel very unwell. WA was a high school teacher, and sometime Bookshop assistant or Botanical Gardens guide and was NEVER even spoken to re my lack of cosmetics. I can understand why people with a bad complexion might want to wear cosmetics, but the aim should be to look BETTER, not 'made-up'. Generally I see older women looking ghastly with heavy make up on, old, harsh and judgmental. Young girls just look foolish to me.
makeup is a choice, and should not be a requirement, ugh. if i were still able to work, and someone required this of me, i'd tell them truthfully that they'd have to teach me how to properly apply makeup first, because i have no idea how most of it works. i put a little eyeshadow on sometimes if i'm feeling fancy, but beyond that i don't know what colors are good for me, how to do blush or lipstick or even foundation properly.
On my commute home I would often be following the "offal" dump truck from the local hot dog/sausage packing plant. Then I would watch it pull into the cosmetics factory a few exits down the freeway. Basically, if it's not good enough to go in a sausage, it's perfectly fine to make into cosmetics. The fish skin/scales from the cannery went to the same cosmetic factory also. To clarify: scales/skin=eyeshadow/sparkly makeup, "offal" gets rendered into gelatin, lanolin and glycerin for foundation, soaps and lotions. It's still disgusting.
I worked in aerospace in the 1980s. I was expected to wear skirts or dresses and heels. Once, while on a cat walk between acid cat washes my heel got caught and I almost went head first into a vat. My director lectured me On being clumsy. He spent two hours with HR, his boss a d the regional VP. I was able so work in slacks and hard for shoes thereafter.
I have always been a very makeup loving person. Shoot , you should've seen me rocking my Barbie makeup in first grade. Bright blue eyeshadow that was a stick like lipstick , red cheeks and lips . Lmfao , my mama was such a sweet patient woman. I'd have made my daughters wash that shiz off . Both of my girls HATE makeup and doing their hair. I'm kind of proud of them because they give zero fox . I asked my oldest why she wasn't putting any makeup on when she was going on a date . She was just like ,"well if he doesn't like me without makeup, I don't like him". Ok queen , be you ! I had nothing to do with it , they are just how they are on their own. They're bad asses
I was working at a hotel a while back and I was going through a health crisis. I have crohn's disease and my supervisor was aware. I was very anemic and felt like crap. I'm already pale, and was looking paler and gray, especially my lips. I was not wearing much make-up because it was taking all my energy just to get to work. My supervisor pulled me aside and said that I looked sickly and that I could use lipstick and blush (didn't ask if I might need a day off or support). A week later when I collapsed and ended up in the hospital for a blood transfusion and eventually a major surgery, she tried to fire me for faking it. Pick a lane lady!
I haven't worn makeup in decades. I sweat too much and it ends up being destroyed after an hour anyway, so what's the point? My nails are never painted and I do them myself. I don't like jewelry. I'm as plain Jane as they come. Had one boss complain about it. I told him I'm not spending $400 to make customers feel good when I'm not even getting paid enough to put food on the table at home. I told them if they wanted to give me a substantial raise...then maybe I'd wear makeup. They never complained again. Women get paid less on average than men, but we are expected to shell out more to make ourselves look good for...wait for it....men. Then pay us more.
This is weird. Am I against being told to wear makeup as a woman? Yes. Am I pro a relaxed attitude if somebody suggests I should wear makeup? Yes. I’d like to think that I‘d listen to why they‘d want me to do that and then either concede or politely refuse. I think I’d like to be given a choice. If the reasoning is some kind of posho dress code where everybody needs to look ultra polished, and I’d not want to wear makeup, they’d probably be open to the idea to me wearing a suit and tie. Like the men. If the men are ok by wearing that, so, by logic, I must be.
Quite a few people on the autism spectrum can't wear make up due to the sensory overload it gives them. I am one of those people who cannot wear make up for longer than an hour without it annoying me (I'm not autistic btw) and I'm very glad I work in a job where it's not a requirement, I wouldn't apply for jobs where it is a requirement. I've worked retail jobs before and I've never been asked to wear make up, just as long as I'm clean and tidy, they're happy.
I work from home and got my job a year ago this month. I've never met my bosses. On my Zoom interview I wore only mascara, lipgloss and cheek jelly, which takes all of 5 minutes. Hair was in a high bun, again 30 second hair-do. I plan on going in to the office like that when we finally go back to the office. My clothing is a different story though. I will be dressed to the 9s. If they're business casual, I'm screwed.
At a previous job our office manager cited a study that said that if you're not wearing makeup to work it makes it appear you dont care about your job so we were all required to wear it. HR did absolutely nothing about it. No men worked in that office for various reasons, mostly because they barely paid more than minimum wage and worked you to the bone.
I was the only female in the team of eight and was told that because I was interacting with customers, that I should wear a full face of makeup. None of my male co workers were asked to wear makeup despite us all doing the same job. I came into work the next day with a full clown makeup. Management were not amused. My co workers fell about laughing. I was not asked to wear full makeup again.
Men for work: appropriate clothing, can be reworn unless smelly. Shave daily unless facial hair is allowed. Cost of upkeep: $100 month if dry cleaning is needed. For women, same cost for clothes and shaving. Pantyhose, makeup, nail and hair salon: $500 per month. But women earn less than men. It's a trap!
And it's not just the money, think of all the time women have to spend on their appearance outside of their work that their not being paid for
Load More Replies...Someone requesting me to wear makeup? I'm very sorry, but even if I do my very best, they have a good chance to get a panda
I love medicine. We're told NOT to wear it, for preference:-) You can if you don't work with patients, but if you touch people? No on the make-up. No fancy fingernails. You just can't afford that stuff in the way, flaking off, or whatever. And jewelry? Yikes. No dangling things! No spiking-scratching things! .... much less pressure than office environments, is my guess.
I had absolutely no idea that an employer can legally require employees to wear make-up. … I just looked it up and it turns out they can’t in my country, whew.
What someone can "legally require", and what someone tells you to do are two different things. You could challenge them, but do you really have the time and money to take this to court?
Load More Replies...If you are customer-facing I can see an argument that blemishes might need to be covered (for both men and women), because human beings are fickle and shallow creatures and you are part of advertising their brand (this is usually why facial hair must be trimmed is also a requirement). Full face makeup? Not unless you're on TV. A back office where your only customers are internal? Yeah, this is a request from a boss who just wants eye candy.
Totally sexist bullshit. Makes my stomach churn. I could get away with not wearing makeup at my current job, but I do so for my own sense of self esteem. I go for a natural look though. It's crazy how most the men here just look like potatoes in tee-shirts. I dress more professionally than them too, lol.
I've had one of those jobs. We worked in a back office doing pure admin on a different building from the shop front, never seen any clients, still the _women_ must wear full make up, and retouch lipstick after eating lunch. The men could turn up with a face smeared with dog crap if the felt like it and it'd be be perfectly fine "as we don't see public"
Funny thing is, I have always worn a light layer of concealer and mineral makeup at work—-just enough to cover dark circles and blemishes, and to even out my skin tone. I learned to apply makeup back when the whole point was to make yourself look like you don’t need to wear makeup at all. So people think I don’t wear any, and are genuinely surprised to learn I do—-and that I have some on at that moment.
Yep. I like wearing a little natural-looking makeup. The whole thing takes me just a couple of minutes. I don't spend a lot on it since I wear the same handful of products all the time. I have super sensitive skin and have found things that don't irritate me. I do object to it being required of people, though. I wear it because I like it. It's actually less common in software engineering, which is a very casual dress code. Most women I work with don't wear make up. I've actually wondered if it counts against me a bit that I do. I also like dresses, which are not common in my workplace. Though not heels. Those can die in a fire. I spent years dressing in jeans and t-shirts to blend in at work. I finally said screw it and I dress how I like now.
Load More Replies...I had major fights with a previous boss that was pushing me to wear mascara! I was never without make up and lipstick (because i liked it and not because of the rule) but she insisted i should wear mascara, even though i had allergies and my eyes were itchy and red!!! I'm remembering now this paranoia and want to scream!!!
There was a time I would go to the VA for mental health visits. For men, being clean and shaven was noted, and exactly what all patients wore was carefully noted. For women, no makeup was considered a marker for depression. Not anymore, though, they were learning that no makeup just meant no makeup.
I am a woman who LOVES makeup. I am from NJ and was raised to think it was just part of being a woman(I'm 60.) But I can't even imagine that a boss would think they can tell women this crap in this day and age! I have put up with sooo much BS over the years from bosses and co-workers. getting hit on constantly when I was young, having ideas stolen by men, not being taken seriously, getting paid a lot less for the same jobs. I can't stand that this is still happening to women now. It makes my blood boil. Just b/c I like it, I don't expect anyone else to.
I'm with ya. It's just insane. And as a working gal in her late 30s I can tell ya a lot of that same BS still does go on, depending on what field you work in.
Load More Replies...Ridiculous. I never wear makeup. I see it as a waste of time and money. If I need to decorate my face for you, then you need to pay for it (including the artist who decorates it, because I sure as hell won't do it).
It's weird, because from my experiences talking to people I know, most people think the natural look is better, whereas this post seems to show some people think they can demand the "applied with a trowel" look from their staff
My wife works at a place where she is required to wear makeup and would be sent home if she turned up without.
If an employer demands that of female employees but not men doing the same job, then the women should be able to submit expense forms for the cost of it. It really adds up.
Load More Replies...In boot camp for the Marines, we had to wear "lips and eyes" at the very minimum. Foundation was not part of the classes we had in the 80s, lol. Perfumed lipsticks of the day broke out my lips. I got a "no lip chit", a paper saying I had a medical reason to not wear lipstick. After boot, we were only required to wear makeup when in certain uniforms. Every place I was stationed, my uniform was camos, so I didn't wear any. Very rarely wore it after that, no one ever said anything. I wear it infrequently now that I'm retired. I like it sometimes...
What the holy hell? You're a Marine and you had to wear makeup in boot camp? Thats messed up. How does wearing makeup help you learn how to kick ass? Some things just dont make sense...
Load More Replies...With all the non-binary developments around us, why is make up still an issue? You can always say you are non-binary and make it a political issue.
I was the admin lead in an office with 8 other admins under me. I work my business casual outfits as per office dress code. I got told one day by my newest boss (ironically the first local boss, otherwise it was all VPs out of the head office in Milan that I reported to…the Milan bosses were known for hiring women based off of looks and not abilities but they all loved me. A few made comments like “if only I was 10 years younger” so I know they had zero issues with my looks lol) hat I need to start dressing up more and wearing dress-suits and out some makeup on. It’s more professional. I said I’m following dress code and makeup is NOT part of this job nor will it improve my work abilities in any way. He told me to not take him wrong, I’m a good looking girl, but I need to dress for the job I want and not the job I have and he feels like I could easily take on way better jobs and move up a lot within the company if I started wearing dress-suits and makeup. I asked him again, how wearing
Dress-suits or skirts and makeup will make me better at this or any job and he stammered. I then asked him if he would say the same to one of the female project managers who doesn’t wear either. Or two of our department managers that are female and don’t wear either and he told me I am excused to go finish my work. F@ck this misogynistic bullish!t. Jobs I can understand makeup being a requirement are: Actor/actress Model Makeup artist Now I work industrial construction. I would love to hear one of my bosses say suck a bullsh!t thing LOL although for entertainment I might just put in the worst makeup job ever…like make it look like a 2yo did it and show up and be like what? U wanted makeup 🤷🏼♀️ hahaha
Load More Replies...I have never worn make -up (except for lipstick and a touch of eyeshadoewwhen I was very young,) I had the sort of complexion that make-up is supposed to make you look like. Lipstick made my lips split and peel (LOVEY!!!) Cosmetics and perfumes make me itch, sneeze and generally feel very unwell. WA was a high school teacher, and sometime Bookshop assistant or Botanical Gardens guide and was NEVER even spoken to re my lack of cosmetics. I can understand why people with a bad complexion might want to wear cosmetics, but the aim should be to look BETTER, not 'made-up'. Generally I see older women looking ghastly with heavy make up on, old, harsh and judgmental. Young girls just look foolish to me.
makeup is a choice, and should not be a requirement, ugh. if i were still able to work, and someone required this of me, i'd tell them truthfully that they'd have to teach me how to properly apply makeup first, because i have no idea how most of it works. i put a little eyeshadow on sometimes if i'm feeling fancy, but beyond that i don't know what colors are good for me, how to do blush or lipstick or even foundation properly.
On my commute home I would often be following the "offal" dump truck from the local hot dog/sausage packing plant. Then I would watch it pull into the cosmetics factory a few exits down the freeway. Basically, if it's not good enough to go in a sausage, it's perfectly fine to make into cosmetics. The fish skin/scales from the cannery went to the same cosmetic factory also. To clarify: scales/skin=eyeshadow/sparkly makeup, "offal" gets rendered into gelatin, lanolin and glycerin for foundation, soaps and lotions. It's still disgusting.
I worked in aerospace in the 1980s. I was expected to wear skirts or dresses and heels. Once, while on a cat walk between acid cat washes my heel got caught and I almost went head first into a vat. My director lectured me On being clumsy. He spent two hours with HR, his boss a d the regional VP. I was able so work in slacks and hard for shoes thereafter.
I have always been a very makeup loving person. Shoot , you should've seen me rocking my Barbie makeup in first grade. Bright blue eyeshadow that was a stick like lipstick , red cheeks and lips . Lmfao , my mama was such a sweet patient woman. I'd have made my daughters wash that shiz off . Both of my girls HATE makeup and doing their hair. I'm kind of proud of them because they give zero fox . I asked my oldest why she wasn't putting any makeup on when she was going on a date . She was just like ,"well if he doesn't like me without makeup, I don't like him". Ok queen , be you ! I had nothing to do with it , they are just how they are on their own. They're bad asses
I was working at a hotel a while back and I was going through a health crisis. I have crohn's disease and my supervisor was aware. I was very anemic and felt like crap. I'm already pale, and was looking paler and gray, especially my lips. I was not wearing much make-up because it was taking all my energy just to get to work. My supervisor pulled me aside and said that I looked sickly and that I could use lipstick and blush (didn't ask if I might need a day off or support). A week later when I collapsed and ended up in the hospital for a blood transfusion and eventually a major surgery, she tried to fire me for faking it. Pick a lane lady!
I haven't worn makeup in decades. I sweat too much and it ends up being destroyed after an hour anyway, so what's the point? My nails are never painted and I do them myself. I don't like jewelry. I'm as plain Jane as they come. Had one boss complain about it. I told him I'm not spending $400 to make customers feel good when I'm not even getting paid enough to put food on the table at home. I told them if they wanted to give me a substantial raise...then maybe I'd wear makeup. They never complained again. Women get paid less on average than men, but we are expected to shell out more to make ourselves look good for...wait for it....men. Then pay us more.
This is weird. Am I against being told to wear makeup as a woman? Yes. Am I pro a relaxed attitude if somebody suggests I should wear makeup? Yes. I’d like to think that I‘d listen to why they‘d want me to do that and then either concede or politely refuse. I think I’d like to be given a choice. If the reasoning is some kind of posho dress code where everybody needs to look ultra polished, and I’d not want to wear makeup, they’d probably be open to the idea to me wearing a suit and tie. Like the men. If the men are ok by wearing that, so, by logic, I must be.
Quite a few people on the autism spectrum can't wear make up due to the sensory overload it gives them. I am one of those people who cannot wear make up for longer than an hour without it annoying me (I'm not autistic btw) and I'm very glad I work in a job where it's not a requirement, I wouldn't apply for jobs where it is a requirement. I've worked retail jobs before and I've never been asked to wear make up, just as long as I'm clean and tidy, they're happy.
I work from home and got my job a year ago this month. I've never met my bosses. On my Zoom interview I wore only mascara, lipgloss and cheek jelly, which takes all of 5 minutes. Hair was in a high bun, again 30 second hair-do. I plan on going in to the office like that when we finally go back to the office. My clothing is a different story though. I will be dressed to the 9s. If they're business casual, I'm screwed.
At a previous job our office manager cited a study that said that if you're not wearing makeup to work it makes it appear you dont care about your job so we were all required to wear it. HR did absolutely nothing about it. No men worked in that office for various reasons, mostly because they barely paid more than minimum wage and worked you to the bone.