Women should wear high heals and lipstick to be successful

Female employees at the Bank of England have been advised to "Always wear a heel and some sort of make-up, even if it’s just lipstick." And don't forget that clients like tight skirts and cleavage too...

Personal branding coach Mary Spillane, a partner in the London office of executive search firm Whitehead Mann says, "People move on in their careers because of communication, influencing skills, being able to create the impact that conveys leadership and authority, and that comes from a range of things including grooming. It diminishes the age issue: by the time you are in your late 30s and 40s your skin has discoloration and you get dark circles; make-up takes that away." Of course if you're discolored, you're no longer able to understand balance sheets, customers and logistics.

International make-up artist Bobbi Brown says, "In any situation make-up can be a great way for women to look and feel like themselves, only prettier and more confident." Perhaps some recruiters I know - men and women - should consider wearing make-up during this economic period; it sounds as if it would make up for skill deficiencies.

"People want to look feminine but not vampish," says a female co-director of one PR firm. "As a woman, you are often in the minority in a meeting, and you want to be remembered for the point you made, or for changing the course of a debate, not for the colour of your lipstick," she says. I'm at a loss for making any pithy comments after reading this quote.

Seriously RBC folks, there's science behind the above quotes. A 2006 study found that when men and women were asked to assess photographs of four women with and without make-up, women who were presented wearing make-up were perceived to be more confident, and thought to have a greater earning potential and more prestigious jobs than those without make-up.

The road is still very long and bumpy...

Read the article here

Comment by Maureen Sharib on February 9, 2009 at 9:52am: Many times I'm glad to be remembered for the color of my lipstick.
;)

Comment by Steve Levy on February 9, 2009 at 10:23am: New metric used to assess the motivation of a female telephone names sourcer...the relative deepness of the color of the lipstick on the telephone headset or wireless boom...called the BUSS: Business Unearthing Sourcing Scale...empirical evidence demonstrates a proportional relationship between the intensity of the lipstick hue and the depth of the organization chart "unearthed"

Comment by Maureen Sharib on February 9, 2009 at 10:36am: LOL

Comment by Chris Englin on February 9, 2009 at 4:28pm: I still remember a boss who used to walk by and tell me to put lipstick on when mine had worn off! It didn't matter that I was pulling in 7 figures for her and her happiest day was when she took me to the MAC counter at Nordstrom.

Comment by Salvatore Petrara, CPC on February 9, 2009 at 4:28pm: perhaps the last prejudices of mankind (oops personkind) will be the physical characteristics of an individual.
Personally being an IT recruiter I always thought a female (recruiting) voice has the upper hand given the male dominated population of Information Technology.
However I refuse to wear make-up, so far...

Comment by Ann Clifford on February 9, 2009 at 5:03pm: Goes along the same line that men with gray hair might consider coloring it in order to look younger and more vibrant. Staying in shape for both men and women makes enormous sense too.

I've had many clients tell me they like to hire pretty young women to call on manufacturing clients. Drop in with doughnuts and they get a quick audience! Looks matter. Sad, but true.

Comment by Paula on February 9, 2009 at 5:05pm: As unacceptable as it may be, people are still judged by their appearance. Women are preceived to be 'more professional/confident' if they are well groomed and for many of us, it means wearaing some, but not a lot of, cosmetics. Men are judged on their appearance as well, but women have been known to be more catty--more vocal about other females appearance.

It is not right, but it is reality. Our society pushes the made up faces of females everywhere. For men, it is about what they wear on their bodies. Look at the commentary made about the First Family Mr. Obama was described as 'smart, intelligent' while the First Lady and her daughters--people talked about their dressing style and where to get their clothes--JCrew's site crashed after people leanred what the daughters were wearing. Does anyone know who made Mr. Obama's suit????

Comment by Salvatore Petrara, CPC on February 9, 2009 at 5:06pm: Ann I am all gray and have never considered getting it colored...
Then you would have to do it on a regular basis...

Comment by Steve Levy on February 9, 2009 at 5:14pm: ...and we haven't even began talking about plastic surgery.

Comment by Kelly on February 9, 2009 at 6:17pm: Though it may be tongue and check the reality is that this is still the case. Not so many years ago whilst working in HR there was a successful woman who to make partner required a make-over! Yes I kid you not. Clearly all the poorly dressed and groomed males (which were in abundance) were over looked and made partner regardless, however in order to move to partner status this woman required a make- over. You really do wonder what century we are living in.