Where's my Ruby Woo?
First we were told that women who wear makeup to work get paid more and now we're being told that our choice of whether to wear lipstick to an interview will make or break our job opportunities. Honestly, is the world so shallow?
According to new research from the University of Stirling in Scotland, both men and women perceive women who wear makeup as being of a higher status.
During the study, Dr. Viktoria Mileva and her team applied a 'standardized' amount of cosmetics to women's faces using computer software and then asked volunteers to rate the faces with and without makeup for various traits including attractiveness, dominance, and prestige.
While men associate makeup with prestigious positive qualities, women view other women wearing makeup as being dominant and a potential threat - according to the survey.
A follow-up study investigated the root cause behind these differences in perception and found that female-on-female jealousy seemed to be the main cause for the differences in perception.
'Women rating women with make-up said they would be more jealous of them, and would be more attractive to men than their non-makeup wearing counterparts,' said Mileva told Science Daily.
'At a job interview, knowing whether the hiring committee will consist of men or women might influence a female candidate's decision about wearing make-up,' said Mileva. 'Whether the interviewers will view her as attractive, dominant, and/or prestigious can affect her and the interviewer's' actions and perhaps the outcome of the interview itself.'
In layman terms, what she's saying is that if a man is interviewing, you have better chance of getting the job if you swipe on a lipstick, but if a woman is interviewing you, you should leave the lippie at home and go without makeup.
Errr... we'll just go with how we're feeling on the day.
