The art of playing the sex-kitten card at work
The current issue of Psychology Today asks: Are you too sexy for your job?
This article has good information about managing your image. Here are the nuggets I liked best:
1. Wear short, low-maintenance hair.
"Both sexes perceive women with long, straight, blond hair as being sexy and those who have short, highlighted hair as smart and confident, but not sexy. More hair equals more femininity but also less intelligence. Likewise, high-maintenance hair makes others suspicious about a woman's competence." (From Marianne LaFrance, psychologist at Yale University.)
2. Wear a little bit of makeup.
"Women who wear excessive makeup are seen as trying too hard. But both sexes rate women who forgo makeup as less committed to their jobs." (From Sherry Myaysonave, author of Casual Power.)
3. Don't dress like the guys.
"When male executives are asked what holds top women back in the workplace, appearing too masculine is always in the top five. Most men think women should be business-like, but should not try to join the club." (From Debra Benton, author of How to Think Like a CEO.)
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5 Comments »
I think medium-long hair can be done right but it is certainly more difficult. It can't be too flashy or trendy but you really can't go ultra-conservative either. Short hair makes sense for a lot of reasons though but if it doesn't work for you personally, you probably shouldn't try it.
Posted by Your HR Guy | July 25, 2006
I suspect it may be more nuanced than that, actually. For example, at my prior job, which was heavily male and technology dominant, the less a woman looked "feminine", the more she was treated as a colleague. In general, the more a woman looked like a woman, the less comfortable they were around her. I am painting with broad strokes, but as a woman who likes to dress stylish (read not just jeans and tshirts like the males in that environment), who does wear makeup, and who wears her brunette hair just below the shoulder, well this was how it was for me.
Posted by bauhaus_sea | July 25, 2006
Wish i had the choice…long or medium length hair :(
Posted by Gordon | November 9, 2006
I think the sexier the better…Most REAL men LOVE to hang around women who look like women….What red-blooded male doesn't want to hang around women who look and dress that way?
Posted by Robert | January 2, 2007
To answer Robert: Those of us who have discovered that the "sexy" girl is just that, a sexy girl, not someone who can be counted on to get the job done right. Send her over to marketing where they all seem to be nothing more than booth bunnies, but keep her out of my IT department!
Posted by jrandom42 | January 9, 2008
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