Scale of make-up intensity, representative of what was used in the study. Source.
A recent study about perceptions of women wearing make-up is making the rounds. I'm interested because I think about this- will my colleagues and students take me more or less seriously if I'm dressed up or wearing make-up?
I am somewhat pleased that they didn't just measure perceptions of attractiveness, but also included things like "competence" and "trustworthiness"- in other words- things that actually matter to women in the workplace. It's a weird sort of feminist slant, as highlighted in the NYTimes article about the study (see below). So how do you use this science to your advantage?
“There are times when you want to give a powerful ‘I’m in charge here’ kind of impression, and women shouldn’t be afraid to do that,” by, say, using a deeper lip color that could look shiny, increasing luminosity, said Sarah Vickery, another author of the study and a Procter & Gamble scientist. “Other times you want to give off a more balanced, more collaborative appeal.” (NYTimes)The article also brings up the idea of make-up as an "extended phenotype." This implies that wearing make-up is a sociobiological trait meant to improve the appearance genetic fitness. For example,
Daniel Hamermesh, an economics professor at the University of Texas at Austin, said the conclusion that makeup makes women look more likable — or more socially cooperative — made sense to him because “we conflate looks and a willingness to take care of yourself with a willingness to take care of people.” (NYTimes)But hello, beauty is a social construct! Especially when it comes to trends like make-up. Like many sociobiology studies, this one seems to be conflating essentialized gender roles and socialization of our culture to certain beauty standards.
Now watch this.
Miss Representation 8 min. Trailer 8/23/11 from Miss Representation on Vimeo.
The kid at 5:05 is my favorite! He has already broken free of the "man box."
That trailer was so phenomenally interesting. I thought I knew how to answer your question when I first read it, but now I'm not sure. I dislike the idea that being a feminist means that we shouldn't be sexy (whatever we personally think that means) or good cooks or whatever. I keep thinking that what we need is a new brand of neo-feminism, where being beautiful is redefined as being smart, compassionate, caring, adventurous.
ReplyDeleteI agree- I think that the culture of feminism on sites like Jezebel and The Hairpin, etc. is very "neo-feminist"- on one hand, recognizing the legacy of feminism and the challenges that still face our generation- on the other- we want to look pretty and bake cupcakes! And we have a sense of humor and aren't man-haters!
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