Most of the new hires were freshly college graduated females, hired as project managers, which mainly meant working with their counterparts in Bulgaria. Figure, 5 blokes, 15 birds in the office. I wasn't doing the hiring btw. Ergo, working with a flock of birds in their early 20s. One of the smartest was a rock star kind of pm, unflappable, great w/clients, etc. However, for me distracting oddity was this: she wore so much makeup it was like a weird parody. It was caked on. She once told me she got up at 5am or something insane to 'get ready' for work. I knew what she meant.
But it's this one incident I recall most. She & I were flying somewhere together to visit a client. We were at airport security and her carry on was flagged. I waited for her so I saw what happened. About half of her carry on was filled with big baggies, inside which were stuffed with shampoo sized bottles. Someone said '3 oz maximum, miss' and she says, for real, 'but there's only a small amount in each bottle.' They say 'it doesn't work like that. You can check the items in a locker if you wish.' She had a look of panic. She or they just chucked all of it in the trash bin and we walked on. I would assume that nite or early morn she want shopping via taxi to get supplies. I never asked her, ever, about the pancake makeup job she applied everyday. It was too weird (also she was so damn good at her job).
But this blurb isn't about her, it's about makeup in general. It seems off the charts unfair that women are expected? required? to get all dolled up for work or public outings. Meanwhile, blokes get up, maybe shave, and that's it. Am I the only one here who cringes at actresses on the big or small screen with perfect makeup, including as they get into or out of bed? Or TV anchors where they look like talking mannequins?
What is the point of this effort? Make women seem perfect? Non-human? You tell me.
Oh and at the extremes, meet the human barbie:
