The Makeup-Free Work Trend Comes To Stay
There's some professionalism related to how employees present themselves to the office. Nevertheless, the make-up-free trend is taking over, especially since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Woman Post | Carolina Rodríguez Monclou
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A social experiment conducted by As/Is showed a group of women that decided to went makeup-free for a day to work. In the beginning, most of them were hesitant since usually women are asked if they are sick or feeling tired by other colleagues (especially men) the day they show their bare face.
Makeup is used to cover baggy eyes, acne, or redness on the skin. By covering those "imperfections," women feel more confident.
When people are not wearing makeup, their humanity irradiates, showing their scars and the spots they wish to hide. A few women decided not to go totally bare face at work by applying some foundation or something that covers up their blemishes.
Through the experiment, female employees felt scared at the beginning but more unrestricted throughout the day. They didn't have to deal with smudging or retouching, which was pretty liberating. One woman even pointed out that she could eat her lunch without worrying about her lipstick.
The participants in this social experiment agreed that makeup, in general, accentuates a certain type of beauty. Meanwhile, no makeup accentuates a different kind of beauty.
To their surprise, female employees received compliments about their appearance, especially from other women who were going bare faces as well.
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It's the moment for women to embrace all the flaws and scars and be proud of them.
The beauty industry has been drastically affected by the pandemic, with sales going down in beauty products. According to Leonard Lauder, current chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies, the sales are down 25%, being lipsticks one of the most affected products. Due to facemasks, many women opt only for eye makeup while others have decided to go barefaced.
On the other hand, working from home and attending online meetings without necessarily having to turn on the camera is another reason why women's skin is healthier than ever. Women are saving the time they used to dedicate to putting on makeup during the morning, to do other activities like sleeping more or meditating while getting ready to work.
There's no doubt that the pandemic has changed work as we knew it, including "small things" such as how women present themselves to professional spaces. At the moment, making the best of this situation can be a great advantage.
All people have imperfections on their faces because that's totally normal and natural. If female employees are kind to men colleagues and never point out their pimples or baggy eyes, why do many men do it?
Being professional is an attitude and judging women only for their looks it's not okay. If women do not want to wear makeup sometimes or never again, they shouldn't be criticized. Companies are forced now to look at what truly matters: Their employees' skills and capacities, not only their faces.
