To ask if you were served by a customer assistant with no make up on

[FlyRussianUnicorn]

If you would be bothered?

Say for example a shop worker or a waitress. Would you be bothered if they werent wearing makeup?

[ouryve]

Of course I wouldn't be bothered. Why on earth would it be a problem?

[lorelei9]

Hiding, not really a valid comparison.

[gobbynorthernbird]

Coming at this from a slightly different POV, does your manager know that you struggle with your health? As you say, OP, she's normally nice so is it possible she's a little worried about you?

[LifeCrossRoad]

I would ask the big boss if they would be asking the men to wear makeup as well.

[WelcomeToMusicTown]

Sorry your boss has made you feel down about your appearance - what an odd question and how completely inappropriate. Could it have been a misguided way of them 'looking out' for you - thinking you're self conscious and that they were offering advice?!!

I honestly wouldn't notice if a shop assistant wasn't wearing make up. If they had bad acne/scarring I might notice but I wouldn't judge or think anything of it and I certainly wouldn't think 'she should have put make up on that'. In fact I think it's more noticeable when make up is caked over a bad complexion.

[LIZS]

I had a Saturday job in Boots as a teen (not on Beauty) and used to get pulled up on hair and no makeup. For some retail jobs it us in the contract that you wear and use the products you represent and may receive an allowance towards the cost. However for most customer facing roles it shouldn't be mandatory as long as you are presentable and clean.

[fresta]

It wouldn't bother me what the assistants face is like as long as they were clean. tidy, polite and did their job well.

However, if you always wear make-up and then arrive bare-faced one day you probably look quite different to how your colleagues are used to seeing you, hence the comments.

[Smartiepants79]

I briefly worked for a large retail company about 10 years ago. I was just a temporary shop assistant. At my performance review they had two things to say.
One, had I considered the management trading programme.
Two, was I aware of make up?! I was a 23 yr old woman who chose not to wear make up on a daily basis as it harms my skin.
I was like this it was so patronising.

[pieceofpurplesky]

I never wear make up in the day, even at my age of 46. Just a good moisturiser. I am a teacher and sometimes kids ask if I am wearing any. I tell them I do when I go out.

Your boss had no right to ask you.

[HidingUnderARock]

I was all ready to launch in here, but you say she is really lovely, and you usually wear it, and you have some scarring.

Is it possible she thought you might genuinely have forgotten and intended it as doing you a favour? Like when you see someone with something between their teeth or their skirt tucked into their tights, or something else they probably didn't intend and can't easily see for themselves.

[Pinkheart5915]

I don't see why a customer service assistant needs make up on. Although I guess if it was somebody on a make up counter the boss might want the products worn by the staff

I probably wouldn't even notice.

[AppleSetsSail]

Totally unacceptable. I don't work in fashion or retail, but the only jobs that would really demand a certain 'look' are makeup counters or higher-end retail outlets.

Is your manager normally reasonable?

[lorelei9]

TheStoic, awful! When I was about 19, I worked in a very small office and all the women wore make up. The boss "suggested" I do the same. They were awful awful people. I think I left after about three months.

[MiscellaneousAssortment]

No makeup fine. Makeup fine.

Dirty not fine.
So much makeup it's in danger of flaking off or transferring into anything (fingers then food for example)... Also not fine.

Hopefully it was a rubbish way of saying 'oh you look different today' but asking if you are going to put on makeup at lunch sounds a bit more than that.

I'd talk to her first if she's normally nice and a good manager. Ask her why she asked you that, and give her the opportunity to apologize or correct herself.

[lorelei9]

I think what your boss said is beyond rude

But I wouldn't talk to her boss. In the generally insane world of work, there is a chance it will reflect badly on you. Sorry. It's infuriating when people make personal remarks like this.

[SmellySourdough]

you put make up on the the car [shocked]

I don't care about people with/without make up. you can look neat with both.
but driving carelessly is a different story altogether!

[TheStoic]

Dadinator must've got his coat...

I remember a new manager, only been there a week, called a meeting with the female staff to tell us we needed to make more of an effort with our make up. We all looked at her like this . We worked in a small office, no contact with the public. Barely any contact with each other. She didn't last long.

[Thatrabbittrickedme]

In my retail days I only had one job where make-up was obligatory and that was in a make-up shop. To be fair they provided free make up to staff and had an expert teach you how best to do it as well as part of the induction (a skill I have much appreciated being taught throughout my adult life).

Other than that scenario I think what you manager has asked today is deeply sexist and shitty. If it's playing on your mind, and she is otherwise a good manager, you could have a quiet chat with her about it later, and ask if she's also asked the same of you male colleagues to make your point.

[scrumptiouscrumpets]

I probably wouldn't notice. If I did, I wouldn't care.
I do notice women wearing a lot of make up, which I don't like at all.

[OliviaStabler]

The only thing I care about is if the assistants are knowledge about their products and personally are clean, tidy but mainly don't smell of BO.

I did work near the make up counters of a large department store once and one of the girls was telling me that they had to wear a minimum number of the products her brand sold everyday.

[Pedestriana]

I don't care whether a customer assistant wears make-up or not.
I don't care whether a customer assistant has facial piercings or not.
I don't care whether a customer assistant has tattoos or not.
I don't care whether a customer assistant has long hair, short hair, green, red, purple, orange, pink hair or no hair.

I do care that they are polite
I do care that they can do their job


It could be lack of tact on the part of your supervisor. If this is the first time it's happened then perhaps it is worth trying to speak to her and explain why it was a hurtful remark.

[BunnyTyler]

I used to be a croupier over 20 years ago, and one of the rules for female staff was full make up (as well as heels & manicured nails!).

No idea if this is still the case, but it was in the contract at that time.

[gamerwidow]

I wouldn't care about no make up the only time I really notice is if a shop assistant wears very bad make up. I once saw what was probably a very beautiful shop assistant in hm wearing so much makeup with such harsh contouring she looked like she was wearing a wax mask. I could barely stop myself from staring to see what in the hell she'd done to herself. Very bad form of your supervisor to have said something.

[MustBeThursday]

This thread reminded me of a TV program about British Airways and their cabin crew trainees - the women had to wear a full face of makeup at all times. No such rule for the men of course

Just have a quiet word with her. She might not have realised you were hurt, if she is normally nice and you get on well. Maybe she thought you'd been in a rush this morning and had intended to put make up on and forgot? She'll probably be mortified to have upset you.

I very rarely wear make up because I have eczema on my face and make up irritates it - and I've never been pulled up on it, even when I've been in customer facing roles. As long as you are polite, neat and clean, that is fine. It doesn't affect how well you do your job.

Completely agree with others about the caterpillar eyebrows, though. I struggle to look away from them...

[ChicChantal]

Nope. I can't find it but there was a lot of stuff in the press a coupla years back about Selfridge having a policy that insisted female staff wear make-up and actually prescribed what. This included people who didn't work in the make-up departments, or women's clothing. I think they were being challenged in it by a women who worked in their CD department and who refused to wear make-up.