If you are a woman in business you may have become aware that your personal appearance can be a double-edged sword. You do everything to make yourself attractive and presentable for the job only to find you can’t advance because someone thought you were too attractive and that would distract the male employees. If you’ve been in business for some years and have wondered if you should get Botox treatment for those fine wrinkles, take this into account.
Of course you want to look your best, but the trouble is that if you appear too attractive you’ll have to work twice as hard to make people take you seriously. Those with suspicious minds may have other thoughts on how you got the job in the first place or how you managed to keep it. This is why it’s good to go with what you like and don’t pay too much attention to what other people think of you.
As strange as it may seem, some women are considered ‘too pretty’ by other women. These women are often jealous of someone who is so much more attractive than they are. This can cause trouble in the workplace and cause them to not put that employee’s name forward for promotion when she truly deserves it. And if a woman who is sensitive about her own looks is the one to make employment decisions, she could quite likely not choose women for positions they are quite capable of filling.
This can actually cause a problem for the company as they may not get the kind of staff they need to be successful. These days, women are both pretty and smart and it’s a shame that it is other women who spoil it for them.
So no matter what your appearance is, there will be some kind of problem with it for some people. Even clients may think you are too young and pretty to have the skills they require. It is an unfortunate fact that some women have to downplay their good looks in order to get the kind of clients they need. To do this they may wear their hair in a tight bun and add heavy framed spectacles. They may even go without make-up or wear dowdy clothes to make themselves look less attractive.
However, if you are after trust, studies have shown that a woman who wears make-up is more likely to be trusted by clients to do the job properly, whatever that job happens to be. If you have an interview for a job you really want, appearance is important, but acting the part is even more so. If you show by your confidence that you can handle the job you should not have to dress down.