More Makeup?!

I recently read an article stating that research shows that employers are more likely to give a woman a better salary if they wear more make up and look more groomed.

A study carried out showed that women who are more groomed earned significantly more money than those who were less groomed. What I would like to know is that if grooming was a factor when it comes to male income, my guess is not.

Since when did it make up become a factor when looking at women’s salaries?! How would the world react if men were judged on how strong they are or how they look topless to work out their salary? However it seems to be completely acceptable to state that a contributing factor to women’s salaries is how much make up they wear.

People ask me why I’m a feminist and it’s exactly reasons like this why I believe that we should all be treated equally. Women should not be judged on how much make up they wear and certainly it should not determine their salary. Who they are as person, their intelligence and their integrity should show for itself and those are the qualities that should be looked at.

How are we supposed to help empower women when this send s a very clear message that if you wear more make up you’ll achieve a higher salary. How are we supposed to encourage young women to work hard to achieve what they want to achieve when in reality this sends a message that all that really matters is how groomed you are.

What kind of message does this send in relation to equality? A very bad one is the answer.

Now don’t get me wrong, I like to wear make up, especially when going out. However I would hate to think that any employer would judge my ability to secure a good salary based on my make up and how well groomed I was.

Have you ever been judged on how you look?

Stress

Stress. A word that is used probably on a daily basis, everyone has stress going on in their lives at one point or another. I HATE stress with a passion, it seems to linger around like a bad smell and the longer it lingers the more it tends to “spoil” and become horrid and unwanted.

It’s like when you bump into someone you know at the supermarket, you say hi how are you? etc etc but then you keep seeing them down every single aisle! They keep bumping into you and the more they do the more you get frustrated with it, by the end of your shopping trip you’re so frustrated and annoyed.

Isn’t it annoying when you’re talking with someone and you may say something along the lines of “I’ve got so much stress going on at the moment, my job is busy, I haven’t had time to relax and everyday life is just manic”. They then say “Oh yeah gosh me too, I’m so stressed, I’m really having trouble shifting that last pound” You feel like screaming “What the Fu**!” and try to fight the urge to strangle them!

So shall I tell you about my stress going on at the moment? That is if you want to read it of course!

Quick background story:

So myself and my husband run a small local business doing mechanical repairs, my hubby has been working for about 13 years and has only recently taken over from my father in law whom unfortunately passed away 2 years ago. I started working in the office alongside my brother in law about 18 months ago.

So the reason for our stress is that lately that my hubby isn’t happy anymore running the business and he feels that he can’t do it. Every time I try to talk to him about what’s bothering him he just says “nothing” but I know there is lots on his mind. I try not to push him because I don’t want to push him further away.

I know he misses his dad but I also know that he does much more than he thinks he can do. It’s hard when he won’t talk to me about what us going through his head.

The other issue is my brother in law in the office. He just does not seem to care about the business and isn’t the slightest bit bothered if things don’t get sorted and he can get funny with customers and suppliers. This really pi**** me off because this is our livelihood and we depend on people bringing their cars to us. The role of myself and my brother in law in the office to help run things smoothly but he seems to be more of a hindrance rather than a help.

Some people say to me “Oh I bet it’s great running your own business, time off when you want, work whatever hours you want” My reply is always the same: “Well you have obviously never run a business”. People don’t see the 7am starts the 7pm finishes, the paperwork to be done on evenings and weekends, the absolute chaos to try and organise if we want to have a day off, we are always the last to arrive to a meal out with family/friends, the arguments about the business, the toll is can take on a marriage. Sometimes a marriage can feel like a 3 person marriage, myself, my husband and the business.

So anyway that’s my little stress story. How do you cope with stress?

 

 

 

Why is it ok?

Why is it ok to assume I perve on men just because I work in a car garage?

Why is it ok to think that you can call me things like sweetness and baby?

Why is it ok to put your arm around me?

Why is it ok to presume I know nothing about the field I am working in?

Why is it ok to knock down my capabilities?

Why is it ok to presume I need mirrors around me to constantly re-do my make up?

Why is it ok to talk over me?

Why is it ok to make misogynistic jokes?

Why is it ok to refer to me as that woman behind the desk?

Why is it ok to tell me I’m wrong because I’m not a mechanic?

Why is it ok to ask me why I’m not at home cooking and cleaning?

The answer to all these questions?

It’s NOT ok!

I face sexist comments and digs like this almost everyday but I know that women are far more capable of things than we give ourselves credit for!