Do women spend more time getting ready in the morning, and if so, is it affecting their careers? Kelsey Cruz at Levo League argues that the answer is yes on both fronts, and provides some tips for streamlining the beauty process to boost our success at work.
To be honest, I’m not totally on board with the whole idea that women take longer getting ready in the morning. I hate to make generalizations based on gender (note: that is a lie) but let’s just say that the women I know take about half as long to get ready in the morning as guys. Women, from what I can see, are able to curl their eyelashes while balancing a checkbook and burping a baby, while men, as the great Mindy Kaling once pointed out, must sit down and concentrate to put on shoes.
All that aside, there are definitely ways that your beautification ritual can impact your career. As I see it, the major issues are:
1. Spending too much time in the morning, and therefore being late for work. This is easily solved with an alarm clock, right? So problem solved.
2. Spending too much time on primping in general, and therefore losing time that men spend reading the paper (a.k.a. their iPads) and otherwise improving their minds and getting ahead in business. OK, this one I’ll grant you, but I’d also wonder if those guys are really doing as much enriching as they claim to be. Asking anyone how much reading or studying or enriching they do is a set-up for self-reporting bias.
3. Not spending enough time on grooming, and looking like a horrifying hag that scorns promotions and also social norms. This one is a solid concern. But as Vicky Oliver, author of The Millionaire’s Handbook: How to Look and Act like a Millionaire, Even if You’re Not, tells Cruz:
“I honestly feel that with the right hair color and correct eyebrow line, a lot of the hard work is already done, and one’s beauty bag can consist of just a few items.”
In other words, if you’re really worried about wasted time, get some dry shampoo and a BB cream and hold your head high.
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