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It seems that thanks to the pandemic and remote work, the habit of painting every day has become a relic of the past for many. Manufacturers of decorative cosmetics suffer huge losses, but what do women themselves think about this?
The fact that in the midst of a pandemic, many women stopped wearing makeup is understandable: if you still have to wear a mask, then what difference does it make what color your lipstick is? However, even now, when some companies have begun to demand the presence of employees in the office again, many are in no hurry to return to their usual beauty rituals. Especially if for their sake it is necessary to sacrifice precious minutes of morning sleep.
“It’s a matter of priorities, and now I choose myself”
“It used to take me at least half an hour to put my face in order in the morning,” recalls 43-year-old Anna. – Cleanse the skin, apply serum, moisturize; then foundation, concealer, powder or foundation, mascara, a little highlighter… And then the lockdown struck, and all meetings were transferred to zoom. Some of my colleagues continued to put on make-up for the sake of phone calls, and I decided that I had had enough.
I won’t say that this didn’t cause any comments at all: at first, surprised colleagues said that I looked tired, which, of course, annoyed me, but then, it seems, everyone got used to it. Actually, in my opinion, this comment is terribly rude: if a person looks tired, this most likely has a reason, but saying this out loud is like openly declaring that he looks bad.
Anna is not going to give up makeup at all: according to her own assessment, she looks “more professional” with it, so she still plans to wear makeup for meetings “in real life” and, for example, going to the theater. Nevertheless, he considers such standards imposed by society and dreams that one day everything will change. “The only way, probably, and you can change society – starting with yourself.”
“With make-up, I probably feel more collected and self-confident. But most likely it’s just a habit. And including the habit of seeing women with makeup around her, 27-year-old Maria agrees with her. “I’m not sure that I myself would begin to paint if all my colleagues and friends suddenly abandoned this practice.”
30-year-old Alisa turned out to be a little bolder: “When we were ordered to return to the office, I suddenly realized that I was not ready, as before, to start the alarm clock early in order to appear “at the parade”. I’d rather do something more enjoyable and meaningful, like exercising or meditating. Or I’ll sleep an extra 20 minutes – this will definitely have more effect on my mood and self-awareness than makeup. It’s a matter of priorities, and now I’m choosing myself.”
How makeup affects the image
According to Alice, none of her colleagues has ever commented on her changed appearance. When going to meetings with clients, a girl can make up her eyes or apply blush – according to her, this significantly changes her appearance. In addition, she has concerns that changes in the image may affect the attitude towards her and her work.
I must say that such fears are not unfounded: a 2016 study showed that, in general, in the eyes of society, attractive people are more successful than others. At the same time, according to the authors of the study, “makeup signals that a woman has worked hard to look good, and this may lead others to think that she will give all her best in work.”
On the other hand, according to Columbia University psychology professor Tara Well, “women who wear too much make-up” are more likely to be condemned by society. “In one study, subjects were asked to rate women solely on the basis of their appearance, and those with ‘moderate’ makeup won the most.”
The lack of makeup told the study participants that the woman didn’t care how she looks, and the overabundance of cosmetics on the face – that the woman is more interested in her own appearance than work.
Will this trend last?
The pandemic has significantly changed not only beauty rituals, but also the purchasing habits of women, the main consumers of cosmetic products. Firstly, they began to prefer care products to decorative cosmetics, and secondly, they began to carefully study the composition of products, choosing more natural ones. And the beauty industry was forced to listen to their wishes.
According to Ruth Orevba, director of the corporate office of a large department store chain in New York, the main trend now is to focus on the beauty that is already in a woman and not try to turn her into someone else. Orevba herself began to refuse makeup even before the pandemic, four years ago. Now she still spends time on getting herself in order, but now it’s about taking care of herself.
“I paint myself exclusively for important meetings and special occasions. I won’t say that my colleagues ignored the changes that happened to me: nevertheless, I work in the beauty industry, where it is customary to look your best, so at first I was often told that I looked “different”, tired or sad.
But then, when the care cosmetics began to work, I was often asked what kind of foundation I use, since it looks completely natural. As a result, I began to feel much more confident, and now I don’t need to put on a “second face” for this.
Has this trend affected you? Have you continued to wear makeup for work or at least partially abandoned makeup?