With society’s strict ideals about women dumbing down their make-up in the workplace, these women refuse to conform by bringing defiant, bold looks to the boardroom

Words: Catherine Turner
Photography: Sarah Brimley

With perfect eyeliner flicks, defined eyebrows and graphic earrings, Alison Dogilewski (above), 36, could be anything – a dancer, a teacher, a pilot perhaps. The fact that she has invested time and put thought into the ways she looks might lead people to assume she works in a so-called ‘feminine’ environment; she is actually a corporate banker. Like an increasing number of women, she has chosen to express her true self in the workplace while refusing to tailor her appearance to conform with her masculine environment.

Outside the workplace most women are cosmetic chameleons. Taking make-up free selfies one minute, then false lashed, full-lipped siren pics the next. “With the explosion of social media, it’s all emotive: ‘This is what I want to say about myself’,” says David Horne, academic make-up artist and founder of House Of Glam Dolls training school in London. “But while this form of self-expression can make you feel more powerful it doesn’t mean equality.” Not when, for many women, expressing yourself through your make-up at work is still considered a real no-no.

“There’s still a lot of conservatism in some industries,” observes Lisa Eldridge, make-up artist and author of The New York Times bestseller, Face Paint. “I see successful female City traders in strong make-up looks, but I think you need lots of balls to do it as the old guard still rules there and whether or not you like it, you will be judged. People think if you’re wearing lots of make-up, you’re spending time on that rather than paying attention to the job.” This mistrust may hark back to make-up’s roots in the theatre, when cosmetics were seen as artifice and even a means of deception, suggests Madeleine Marsh, historian, academic and author of Compacts And Cosmetics: Beauty From Victorian Times To The Present Day. “The term ‘make-up’ originates from the theatre and from this came slap and slapper, the now familiar colloquialisms for wearing too much make-up.”

Though individually we might not be enslaved to fit into a certain image of beauty, the subconscious assumptions of others about our appearance can still affect the way we are perceived professionally. One report found that a third of bosses (male and female) think women wear too much make-up to work but equally wouldn’t be impressed by make-up free looks.

Pride and prejudice

A recent study by a team including Nancy Etcoff, Harvard professor and author of the book Survival Of The Prettiest: The Science Of Beauty, asked a panel to rate photographs of women wearing make-up and no make-up. The respondents’ reactions were fascinating and unsettling. Women in make-up were considered to be more likeable, attractive and competent than those without. Further, women with light make-up or natural looks were the most favoured while those with glamorous make-up were seen as being less trustworthy. In other words, the ‘old slapper’ idea of too much make-up indicating character deficiencies kicked in. The implications of this prejudice at a time when potential employers are regularly clicking on social media platforms and making snap judgments about future staff are significant for anyone who dares to break away from a bland, inoffensive office look.

Of course there are plenty of us who are happy in our own skin and comfortable going to the office barefaced or with minimal make-up. This also suits the fast moving work landscape and culture where portfolio careers, self-employment, LinkedIn networking and FaceTime interviews blur the line between on and off duty. For those who like to express their dynamic, bold characters through their make-up in the office where, let’s face it, we spend the vast proportion of our time, life isn’t so simple.

These days, we are negotiating unwritten rules (new and old) when it comes to appearance in the workplace. Ultimately, we need to manage the image we project intelligently and consciously and decide what make-up works day-to-day for us. Eldridge is inspired by the challenge: “Criticism of women wearing make-up goes back decades but now we have the freedom to wear false lashes if we want, or red lipstick if we want. That’s liberating.” For those contemplating a bold look she believes there are ways to use it to your career advantage. “I’ll wear flicked up eyeliner for a business lunch,” she says. “It’s good to bring a little attention to eyes as they’re expressive when you’re speaking.”

It’s that same freedom of personal expression that is motivating women across the working world to reflect their core identity – whether as a Fifties screen siren, a romantic hippie or cyber punk – in the office. Inadvertently they are also providing themselves with an instant visual brand. A strong look makes you recognisable and memorable – key advantages in a competitive work environment. As Marsh says, “Make-up can make you feel better, as well as having the potential to make your clients and colleagues feel good too.” In the tradition of the earliest beauty rebels, we met five women who have faced prejudice and put-downs to express their true selves through their appearance to find out why it’s so important to be strong in our work and to keep our identity…

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