In an article titled "Let’s
face it, the ‘beauty premium’ exists at work" published on January 10, 2014,
in the Toronto Globe and Mail, Leah Eichler flirts with the idea that attention
to Mrs. Clinton’s bangs – and to any women’s appearance – might be unfair and,
perhaps, even sexist. Lamenting the fact that, “The hairstyles of prominent female
leaders never fail to make the news,” she mentions "The
Beauty Premium" as one explanation.
Interpreting our fixation with Mrs. Clinton's hair as an
aspect of the "beauty premium" misses the
Janet Mayer - Splash
point. We look at the hair
of any person of influence and power to discern whether they can function in
their role in an effective and expected way. We do judge books by their covers
and before we say, "oh, that isn’t right; that shouldn't happen,"
think about how we label a person in tattered clothes pushing a shopping cart
along the street. Do we think "corporate executive?" Or
"homeless?" Undercover Boss tells us we probably judge “homeless.” That’s
just the way we do it. It's in our DNA.
And before we lament the fact that attention is paid to Mrs.
Clinton's hair - again - let's look at the hair of some men. Malcolm Gladwell's
deliciously unruly locks work for him because he’s a writer who thinks thoughts
the rest of us only dream of. That hair would work against him if he aspired to
be, say, a bank president and any of his male mentors would be quick to tell
him so. The same with Einstein and his wild locks. The Reverend Al Sharpton is
another case in point. As he has moved more into the mainstream, he has tamed
his signature James-Brown-tribute hair. And on January 21, 2014, ABC Evening News’
Senior National Correspondent Jim Avila, in reporting on Chris Christie’s
inauguration said Christie was "sporting
a more presidential haircut." So … "they" just say these things to and about
women? Obviously not. Perhaps men follow the rules so much that they don’t need
the comments. My money is on the latter.
Rich Schultz - AP Photos
Though we can always find the few exceptions that prove the
rule, more conventional positions almost always necessitate conventional hair.
We, the people, require it. We make judgments on competence (and 16 other
qualities) within 3.5 seconds of meeting someone and those conclusions, once made, are
visceral, deep and long-lasting - a point tangentially made in Malcolm Gladwell's
blink!
Get the hair right quickly. Frequent hair
changes signal a flip-flopping mind and your opposition will use that to their
advantage. "She just seems unstable" they can say and many people
will resonate with that deep in their core without quite knowing why.
Choose a style that projects the elements you
need for the job and for the campaign trail. Among the qualities we look for in
our president are: authority (you will be the commander-in-chief, of course),
effectiveness, authenticity, trustworthiness and friendliness (when relating
with the public).
Project these qualities in your clothes every
day, taking into consideration the venue and your audience. Though you have more
than amply demonstrated these qualities in your stellar public service career,
every appearance is a mini first impression and you must visually reinforce
these qualities each day. Your opponents will be doing so. Don’t let them get
the edge.
A few years ago I heard that women
who wear some make-up – not too much, not too little – make 11% more money than
women who go without makeup or wear excessive amounts.
This immediately resonated with
me. Women in a professional setting with no make-up look so unfinished, so raw, so, well …
unprofessional.
Then the feminist in me took over:
how unfair. Why should women have to wear makeup and men don’t? I continued to
do what worked for me: a certain amount of make-up in professional situations –
not too little, not too much. And I continued to tell clients and audiences
this statistic – though shakily, because I could never find the research. And I
continued to puzzle over the unfairness.
I also wondered: if the
statement is true, how does one know what is too much or too little? When has
one crossed the line? As an image professional I was fairly certain that I was
within the boundaries, but how could others be so sure? What guidelines could I
give my clients? Then one day it hit me:
A
woman should spend as much time applying make-up as a man spends shaving.
Though this idea was still based on my
gut feelings rather than research, here was the symmetry, the fairness, the
gender-neutral prescription: a certain amount of face time in the mirror each
morning if we want success. Women aren’t unilaterally asked to do something men
don’t do. We are expected, if we want success, to follow the same rules that successful men follow, but in a feminine way. The female version, if you will.
So: how much time does a man spend
shaving? From five to 15 minutes. Spend that much time on your make-up, ladies!
And see what happens.
Nancy Etcoff and the
Harvard Study
As true as this prescription felt,
it was still based on my gut, on a hunch. But now there is research. Nancy
Etcoff, Ph.D., author of Survival of the
Prettiest: The Science of Beauty, Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard
University and Associate Researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital
Department of Psychiatry, has led a team of researchers from those institutions
in association with Procter & Gamble, BostonUniversity
and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that looks at how women are perceived by
others when they wear different makeup styles.
The bottom line of the study is that all makeup applications – from light
to heavy – made the woman appear more competent, likeable, attractive, and
trustworthy than the face without makeup. (This buttresses research done in
Germany in 2009 that men find evenness of color more attractive than splotchy
faces in women. Psychology
Today) The most made up looks, however, were judged less trustworthy. And
the most heavily made up look was seen as less dependable and stable.
One interesting aspect of this study is that it didn’t only look
at whether makeup made a woman more beautiful. It also looked at competence,
likability, trust, hireability – all qualities we need for effectiveness in the
workplace.
Here is the design of the study. Participants looked at five
photos of 25 women aged 20 to 50 from a range of ethnic backgrounds. In the
first photo each woman appeared without makeup; the other four photos had
makeup styles ranging from light to heavy identified as Natural, Professional,
Glamorous and Sexy. Professional makeup artists created the looks with the
difference between them being the contrast between the lips and eyes and the
natural skin, called luminosity level. The Natural and Professional styles are
slight progressions from No Makeup. Glamorous is a significant step up from
Professional with darker eyes and dark red lips. Sexy had very dark eyes and
pale lips.
Volunteers looked at the photos in two stages. In a quarter-second
first-impression glimpse, all four makeup styles all increased the
attractiveness, competence, likability and trust compared to the same face
without makeup.
When given an unlimited amount of time to look at the
photos, however, attractiveness, competence, likability and trust were higher
for the Natural and Professional photos than for the face with no makeup. The
most heavily made up faces, the Glamorous and the Sexy, were considered equally
likeable and very attractive, but less trustworthy. And the Sexy look was
judged the least dependable and stable. Dramatic and Sexy makeup was only an
advantage when participants saw the photos quickly (for a quarter of a second).
And women wearing no makeup got the lowest ratings on competence, likeability and
attractiveness. (You can read more about the study at NY
Times, Marie
Claire, Psychology
Today or P&G.)
This research is exciting to me for many reasons.
First, it documents the statement I heard years ago.
Second, this research is not about beauty which so much of
the writing on makeup is. For those of us who are not great beauties, this is
comforting. It is only about enhancing – and making the most of - what is
already there.
Third, the study brings makeup into the gender-neutral realm.
By showing the benefits and pitfalls of the feminine practice of makeup
application, we can see the parallels to the similar routine men perform each
day. Men spend about 10 minutes of face time with themselves in the mirror each
morning. Women can use a similar amount of time in a feminized version of this meet-the-world
ritual using that 10-minute average to apply just enough – but not too much - makeup.
We can further see that both practices are about more than
looks; they are also about success. This adds a tool to women’s arsenal that
men have used for centuries: Men shave and groom their beards to
guarantee success; women
have, of course, applied makeup for centuries, but smart women will now add this new intention to the
application of their makeup.
To figure out the level of makeup that will bring you
success – Natural, Professional, Glamorous or Sexy - take your work and/or
social culture into consideration. If you work for a non-profit organization
the culture might respond better to a more Natural look, whereas a bank Vice
President or a politician might need a more Professional look (think Sarah
Palin). In sales you would generally match the level of your client. And
working at Vogue might require something between Professional and Glamorous.
Context is key. Culture is key. Look and learn.
Dr. Etcoff says, “For the first time, we have found that
applying makeup has an effect beyond increasing attractiveness – it impacts
first impressions and overall judgments of perceived likeability,
trustworthiness, and competence. … the results of the study have broad
implications.”
A thought-leader in the field of professional dress, Beryl Wing is breaking new ground in our understanding of workplace culture, branding and attire. Founder of The Image Authority, Beryl is an Image Strategist and Corporate Culture Detective with a specialty in nonverbal branding and the silent language of clothes. She teaches at the Fashion Institute of Technology, conducts professional seminars, image consultations and writes on the impact of clothing on first impressions and professional success.