Make up at work

[ZebraGiraffe12]

I posted previously regarding achieving a promotion and I am super happy about this and I love the promotion. However, I have had a meeting today about a complaint from one of our senior managers. Before coming back from maternity leave I liked to be very glamourous, high heels, make up, etc. However, since coming back from maternity I prefer a nice flat shoe or a small heel and minimal or no make up. If I am at home doing video conferences I will rarely wear make up, when travelling I will wear a bit (lots of photos taken).

Last week I was taking part in a training conference for managers across the world. It was a 5 day conference and on 4 of the days I wore no make up, on the second day I was presenting at the conference and decided to wear some make up. I have just had a meeting with a senior manager who has told me it was very unprofessional of me to not wear make up and that my face is part of selling the company and it needed to look professional. I feel absolutely awful and cried all through my lunch.

Someone please reassure me that I am not in the wrong and the senior manager at my work is. I haven't seen him since I was 4 months pregnant so I know my look has changed a lot.

Thank you

Also, as long as you clean and wearing clean clothes why does being a bit frumpy make you bad at your job? The frumpy thread showed how different everybody’s views of fashion are. So you could easily be accused of having let yourself go for wearing something another poster thinks is frumpy. None of this is relevant to whether you are good at your job.

It is harmful to your skin it's not just my belief, just because products are animal cruelty free does not mean the "ingredients" chemicals aren't harmful when absorbed by the skin. If you choose not to research and believe that, that's fine. Also I think I'm getting the no make up = unwashed unkept from the suggestion that without it women look unprofessional.

You are still very young...
You can look after your skin hair nails ect without wearing make up so your male equivalent makes no sense

Can I just check , you are literally saying that a woman not wearing make up is the equivalent of a male with messy hair and a stained tie? You must think a tramp then as I’ve never worn make up to work or for any job interview and I’m in my 50’s . It has nothing to do with looking after yourself or being proud of how you look and I’m really sad you equate it with that.

Bless! Come back in 10 years when you've had a couple of kids.

@123anotherday yeah I do, and what?

@DetOliviaBenson having kids isn't an excuse to be sloppy?

So you don't have kids then. You don't have a clue what you're talking about! You're sexist (you don't apply the same thinking to men who don't wear makeup), naive and very very judgemental! Plenty of women don't wear makeup and manage to look professional and not sloppy in the slightest. It's just your very narrow and judgemental view of the world.

When you've been up all night breastfeeding and then have to get yourself and the baby to nursery and work before 7.30 am come back and talk to the grown-ups.

You must be incredibly insecure if you think women shouldn't leave the house without makeup.

@DetOliviaBenson pretty misogynistic to say the only grown up women are those with children

That's not what I said. I was talking about you specifically and your childish attitude.

It's a case of looking after yourself and being proud of how you look.

Or the exact opposite, in fact, if you believe/are told that you're too hideous and not fit to be seen in public as you normally look.

Rather more being led to feel ashamed of how you look, I'd say.

What!??

What’s unprofessional is a manager suggesting you need to use your face to sell and then suggesting your actual face isn’t good enough !! What bloody era are we in ? That’s horrendous and I would say something to raise with HR!

You DO NOT need to plaster your face with make up to please others ! Make up is for you , if you feel better in it wear it and if you don’t , don’t.

I wear a lot of make up and I actually put a lot less on for work ( I’m a teacher so heavy make up isn’t really the best ) but I only ever do it for me! If I wake up and feel good in my skin ( i have very sensitive skin that can get quite red and I also have barely any eyebrows so have to draw them on 🤣) then I won’t wear it . I have had people say “ you look much better without all that make up , more natural “ and even “ men prefer the natural look “ ( even though I’m happily married lol ) and my answer is thanks but I do my make up for me and how I feel not to appease others 😊

Perhaps he should wear make up for the next conference?

I fully believe I can be seen in public without makeup. Outside of work I rarely wear more than the basics. I enjoy applying my makeup and playing around with it. But I recognise you need to wear it in certain situations

You should’ve fixed him with a steely stare and asked him to recommend the brand of lipstick he wears 🤣
Being serious though, go to HR, this is totally unacceptable and needs addressing. It has nothing to do with the fact you are now a parent. All women have the right to decide whether or not they wear makeup.

Really?
Ive never really being wearing make up. Even for my wedding, I only had very light make up (think mascara and a bit of eye shadow + lip gloss)

So I’m wondering what those situations where you NEED TO wear make up are.

Really? What certain situations are those?

That's an interesting use of the word 'need.' What are the situations in which a woman needs to wear makeup?

I’m one of those women who wears a full face to do the nursery/ school run and if I haven’t got time I’ll be hiding with sunglasses on. However, I’m still bloody outraged on your behalf. Cheeky bastard

But I recognise you need to wear it in certain situations

So you DO believe that women's natural looks are not acceptable to be seen when they're doing certain things? Which would they be?

Work. You should be putting your best foot forward, not turning up looking exhausted.

Where has o/p or anyone say she is turning up looking exhausted?

So the two options are full face of make up or looking exhausted?

If she has no time because of the kids, it implies she looks exhausted. It's about making the effort.